


Snowed

by bagelswrites



Category: Original Work
Genre: (some chapters are only text messages), A Feminist Take on Hallmark Christmas Movies, Adoption, Cabins, Childhood Friends, Domestic, Epistolary, Exes, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friendship, Holidays, Marriage, Miscarriage, Multi, Nostalgia, Only the very best tropes, Post-Break Up, Pregnancy, Secret Relationship, Slow Burn, Snowed In, Swearing, hand selected and picked at the peak of perfection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:14:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 30,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24462586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bagelswrites/pseuds/bagelswrites
Summary: It's been two years since the Rodin Six (Taeya HATES that name) have all been in the same place at the same time. Unfortunately the "same place" is a cabin in the mountains and the "same time" is the middle of a blizzard. And it's not even really the six of them, since they've all got plus-ones. But Mark and Jackie are stuck at the bottom of the mountain and Hope and Ramon didn't even bring anyone (well, kind of). Mina, still getting over a break up, brought her childhood friend Eugene, but he quickly becomes her fake boyfriend when Taeya's new beau John turns out to be Mina's ex. No one's going anywhere, so Jimmy might as well make dinner. Amber just wants a nap.
Relationships: Jackie King/Marcus King, Jimmy Lewis/Amber Lewis, Mina Park/Eugene Min, Ramon Morado/Hope O'Neill, Taeya Vaughn/John Cooke
Comments: 47
Kudos: 16





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is an original work I started during NaNoWriMo that's loaded with as many tropes as I could manage and characters loosely based off of the Bangtan paper dolls I use when writing fic. I'd challenge you to figure out which one is which, but I think their names give it away pretty quickly. 
> 
> I have about half the story written right now, so I'll probably update weekly, depending on interest and feedback, to give me time to finish it.

#### -1-

“When I agreed to this, I was promised free drinks and only two hours in the car.” Eugene peered dubiously out of the dark passenger window of the rental car. “We’re now creeping up on hour three and we haven’t even hit 380 yet. And you didn’t pack a flask, Park. How many more promises are you going to break this week?”

“First of all, shut up,” Mina said mildly, squinting past the flurries of snow swirling in the beam of the headlights and trying to keep a reasonable distance between them and the next car on the packed interstate. “Second of all, a flask is an open container, _Min_.” She checked her rearview out of habit, though the scene behind them was the same as the last hour. “Third of all, how many times are you going to make me say ‘thank you’ for bailing me out?” She flicked a strand of short hair out of her eyes and scanned the road again. The tension in her shoulders that wouldn’t let up.

“At least six more, I think…” Eugene grinned so wide his gums showed. Mina rolled her eyes. He huffed and leaned back against his seat. “I still don’t understand why it was such a big deal for you to go alone. You’re calling this event _Friendsgiving_ , which by the way sounds like the whitest thing ever, but you presumably like these people.”

“Of course I like these people, and they’re not _all_ white. Though most of them are...” Mina glanced at her phone, mounted to the air vent so she could keep her hands free and still have her map. Red lines in every direction. “It’s just that they love me so much that they meddle and this year is the first year everyone is bringing their significant others. Being the eleventh wheel on this School Bus of Friendship Chaos is kind of pathetic.”

“And bringing a friend instead of a boyfriend isn’t less pathetic?” His voice was teasing, but she still cringed a little. “They’re not going to meddle if I’m there?”

“Well, they’ll still mother me and smother me, but when it gets to be too much, I’ll turn to you and say ‘weren’t you working with Jay-Z the other day in the studio?’ and Hope and Amber will start bugging you for information about Beyonce instead of investigating my love life. And then I can slip away for at least an hour with a good book.” She grinned unrepentantly at his grimace. 

“They sound swell…”

“Well, ignore everything I just said because they’re literally my favorite people in the whole world, aside from my mother, your mother, and Kwon Jiyong.”

“Kwon Jiyong? Who the fuck is--” He cut himself off, thinking. “Is he that dude who owns the Korean barbecue place on West Thirty-Second, the one you always get drunk at when you’ve been dumped?” Mina squawked in protest. 

“First of all, shut up,” she repeated her earlier refrain, this time not nearly as mildly. “Second of all, it was one time and the break up was brutal and I’m still embarrassed about puking on your shoes so kindly shut up please-and-thank-you. Third, I thought you were all, _my music taste transcends genre_.” She pitched her voice lower and slightly raspier and just a little bit dumber and was pleased when he echoed her squawk. “How do you not know Kwon Jiyong? G Dragon? The rapper slash singer slash genius artist and musician in Seoul? Even your mom knows G Dragon.”

“Oh. Him.” Eugene shrugged. “I’m not really into the idol singers. Hell, I barely listen to anything from the underground over there anymore.”

“Well, you should.” Mina mentally kicked herself for not making a road trip playlist. How had she been in a car for three hours with a legit music producer with the stereo silent the whole time? She hadn’t even noticed, since there hadn’t been many lulls in their typical banter and conversation. “It’s all really good. Especially G Dragon.” Eugene just nodded affably and somehow she knew he’d take her advice seriously.

“In one quarter mile, take Exit 3 for I-380 North,” a voice said from her phone, both placidly soothing and somehow obnoxious at the same time.

“Shit. I gotta get over, hang on.” Mina flipped on her turn signal and inched into the next lane, praying everyone behind her was paying close attention in the terrible visibility. “I hate driving.”

“I would have driven,” Eugene offered, his voice a little tight.

“All the way to the Poconos? When you’re already doing me a favor by showing up at all?” She twisted her head back and forth rapidly to keep all the cars in her vision at once as she merged again.

“I have a little more… practice than you do.” His eyes darted to the side mirror, even though the angle didn’t help him see much. Mina didn’t miss the way his hand gripped his armrest tightly.

“Yeah, I’m sure those three years in LA taught you all about driving in snow.”

“As opposed to the lengthy experience you have, riding in cabs across Queens? Did you learn how to drive by osmosis?” They both pretended his voice didn’t pitch an octave higher on the last phrase. 

He clenched his teeth as she steered the car onto the off-ramp. They both sucked in a breath as the tires slid ever so slightly before settling into the grooves the earlier traffic had left in the slush on the pavement. He looked at her meaningfully. She shushed him softly. When their momentum was once more only in a forward direction, he released the armrest but then didn’t seem to know what to do with his hand. 

“Wait, so you’re saying that the ranking of your favorite people goes,” he motioned a flat hand above his head, “your mom,” moving the hand lower on each phrase, “my mom, G Dragon, then these people?” He finished with his hand down by his knee. “And then the rest of us plebes.”

“Well, I mean, I didn’t actually rank them. I just… grouped them.” Mina eyed him sheepishly. “And you’re not a plebe.”

“If you had to rank them?” Eugene asked with a raised eyebrow, clearly challenging her. She knew he wasn’t going to let her off the hook with this. “Where does this Jiyong guy rank? Higher or lower than these friends?” Mina stared out the windshield, avoiding his gaze. The pitch of his voice raised incredulously. “Higher than my mother? _Your_ mother?”

“Listen...” Mina didn’t actually have an end to that sentence. Eugene chuckled into the silence she’d left hanging. “I like them all a lot, okay? Jiyong got me through some hard times.” She prayed Eugene wouldn’t bring up the breakup again. She was mostly over it, over him, but it was all better left in her past. It was still kind of a tender spot when poked too much. “Besides, my mother definitely outranks him. And Taeya -- you’ll meet her tonight -- she beats Jiyong by a fair amount. Your mother was a contender until she started her inquisition again last time I saw her.”

“Oh god,” Eugene groaned, flopping his head back on the headrest. “What was she asking about now? Love life or job?”

“Both.” 

“Wait.” He lifted his head to fix her with a searching glare. “Mine or yours?”

“Both.”

“Why is she like this?” He groaned again and scratched behind his right ear in a fidgety kind of way.

“Korea, I think?” Mina pursed her lips as she merged slowly into the traffic on the next highway. “I dunno. Mine’s been harping on the same things. She’s disappointed in my choice of career, but now that I’m about to turn thirty, she’s trying to get me married off and pregnant with her grandbabies.” He nodded wearily. “So is your mom.”

“Disappointed in my career choice or trying to get me married and pregnant with her grandbabies?” Eugene asked sardonically. Traffic slowed to a stop around them momentarily.

“Well, I’m sure she’d rather you were a lawyer or a doctor, but I meant me.” She rolled her head on her shoulders, taking advantage of the still vehicle to take her eyes off the road for a second. 

“She wants you married and pregnant with her grandbabies?” Eugene scrunched his forehead. Traffic started moving again. She nodded and released one hand off the steering wheel to flex her stiff fingers, then switched and did the same with the other. Eugene jolted and turned toward her. “Wait. She wants you pregnant with _her grandbabies_?”

“Yep.” Mina popped the P on the end of the word, glancing at him accusingly. “Someone, and I’m not saying who, but _someone_ told her I was single again, Eugene Daniel Min, and she’s returned to her plan to unite our families through our marriage.”

“Shit.”

“Shit!” Mina hit the brakes and they both grunted when the seatbelts caught them. The truck that had swerved in front of them fishtailed a little before cutting across two more lanes of traffic. “They’re going to kill someone.”

“I’m going to kill someone,” he muttered. She sighed. 

“She means well,” Mina said gently, wishing she hadn’t been so vehement a second ago. His mother wasn’t so bad, no different than her own, really. But Mina had forgotten how touchy he got when this subject came up every few years. “I’m the only single Korean girl left from the old church. She wants to take care of us both. Plus, I’m sure my mother’s involved, too.”

“Still. It’s none of her business.” He scrunched his nose. “Sorry about that. I’ll talk to her. Again.” He rubbed his forehead. “I thought we were past this in high school.” 

“Well, maybe if you got yourself a girlfriend, she would believe you when you said you weren’t interested in me,” Mina teased. She fluffed her short hair in an exaggerated gesture. “It’s because I’m such a catch, you know.” She grinned at him, trying to bust him out of the sour mood the conversation seemed to have put him in. “So be sure to bring home someone really good, okay? Or she won’t believe you.” 

“Yeah, I’ll get right on that…”

#### -2-

“Babe?” Ramón called. He slid down the hardwood hallway in his socks, feeling just a little bit nostalgic for Risky Business, never mind that it had been released several years before he was born. Still, he did a little shimmy in his boxers as he slid into the bedroom. “I found the corkscrew!”

“Excellent! Get your no-ass back in bed.” Hope rolled over, completely unconcerned with her nakedness. He paused, just taking in the way she looked, rumpled among the sheets. She blinked up at him expectantly with the bottle of white wine in her hands. “What?”

“How did I get this lucky?” he murmured, moving forward to kiss her. She sat up to meet his lips and kept him close for longer than he originally planned.

“You wanna get luckier?” she asked archly. 

“It’s been exactly twelve minutes since the last round, which I might remind you was round two.” He climbed over her legs to tangle himself back around her body, his chest against her back. “As much as I’d like to, I don’t have the sex drive of a high school boy.” 

“Well, I do,” she said, taking the corkscrew from him and expertly opening the wine. “You need to keep up.”

“We should probably get dressed,” he mused. Then he ignored his own words to kiss along her bare shoulder as she picked up a glass from the nightstand and started pouring. “The others will be here soon. Wasn’t Mina leaving the city at three? It’s… crap, it’s six now.” He moved to get up, but Hope pulled him back down with a hand around the back of his neck. She kept pulling him until they were kissing deeply. 

“She called while you were in the kitchen,” she said impishly as he tried to catch his breath. “They’re still at least a half an hour out. The roads are terrible.” She handed him a glass and clinked hers against his gently in a small toast. “We’ve got the place to ourselves for a little bit longer.”

“The roads?” Ramón looked at the dark window and noticed the flakes buffeting the glass for the first time. “When did it start snowing?”

“Right after we got here,” she replied with an eye roll. “I said it was a good thing we’d done all the grocery shopping on our way up, because we might not want to go back out tonight.”

“Oh, right. I was a little busy,” he said into her skin, back to kissing her neck. “Because right before that, you’d taken off your shirt.”

“Ah, yes, I forgot how that tends to turn the volume down on your ears…” 

“Sorry, babe,” he said sheepishly. “But have you seen you? Your beauty is deafening.” He frowned. “That was supposed to be more poetic and complimentary.” 

“Ehh, I’ll take it.” Hope pecked his cheek. “Now, do you want round three here or in the shower?”

“Are you sure none of the others are getting here earlier?” He looked around again, like one of their friends might materialize at any second. His drink sloshed a little in his hand and he hastily set it on the nightstand. Liquids in bed were best limited to lube. 

“Everyone else isn’t planning on being here until eight or so, except for the Kings, but Mark texted something about a delay at the sitter’s place? They got a late start.”

“I still don’t know why we didn’t just carpool with them. DC to Baltimore isn’t out of the way. We could have all saved a little gas money.”

“Well, for one, then you wouldn’t have gotten laid. Twice. Pretty sure that’s worth the gas money.” Hope grinned, then took a slow sip of her wine, enjoying the flavors bursting on her tongue. Ramón enjoyed the expressions bursting on her face. “And two, they think we’re each bringing someone else. I didn’t want to spill the beans until we’re all together.”

“Yeah okay,” Ramón conceded. He flopped back on the pillows with a whiney moan. “And we have to tell them?” 

“Ramón.” Hope’s usually joking voice was firm. He lifted his head and then let it fall back down. She set her glass down and watched him.

“I know. It’s just --”

“Unless you prefer to keep me a secret for a few more years?” Her tone was still not joking. She slid out of the bed and slipped her dress over her head. He sat up quickly. 

“Fuck no.” He crawled to the edge of the bed hastily. “That is not what this is about.”

“Seems like it, sometimes…”

“No. Have you been worried about that?” He jumped up and pulled her close to him. “If you feel like that, I’ll call everyone right now while they’re driving on those dangerous roads out there and tell them myself, screw waiting.” He looked her in the eye until she softened. 

“Then why--”

“Because no one is going to believe that you’re serious about _me_ , Hope.” He stepped back a little, feeling small and stupid and feeling stupid for feeling small and stupid. “I just don’t want the teasing or the jokes. I don’t-- This thing isn’t a joke, you know?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” she asked, clearly trying not to laugh in confusion. He took a deep breath and gathered his jumbled thoughts.

“I’m the youngest and a giant nerd and all gangly and... I’m me and you’re you and they’re not--”

“What do you mean I’m me and you’re you?” Hope scowled at him, roving her eyes up and down his nearly-nude body. She reached out a hand to trace his skin from his defined pecs to flat abs. 

He blinked and followed her hand with his eyes. He sometimes forgot that he’d gotten a gym membership a few years ago and was no longer the scrawny kid who started college at sixteen. She lifted one corner of her mouth in a sly smile as he ducked his head sheepishly. 

“It’s been ten years since we all met,” she said slowly. “None of us are the same people anymore. When we tell them, they’ll believe us because I am so goddamn in love with you that they’ll see it all over my face.” She tipped her face up to kiss him again. “And I don’t want to hide that anymore.”

“You know,” he said, breaking the kiss only to drop a few more pecks on her lips. “I’d like to remind you that this whole secret was your idea in the first place.” He looped his arms around her hips to rest his hands on the small of her back. “The first time you jumped me, I was ready to tell the whole world.” She snorted.

“That’s only because you wanted to tell the whole world you finally scored.” 

“Hey!” 

“Besides. Who jumped whom?” She gave him a skeptical look.

“You jumped me.” He lowered his eyebrows, confused and offended. She tilted her head curiously. “Two years ago, at the last one of these Friendsgiving things. You cornered me in the kitchen and kissed me. Have you really forgotten our auspicious start?”

“That wasn’t jumping you!” she said indignantly. “That was just kissing you. You’re the one who came to my apartment on New Year’s Eve that year and asked to pick up where we left off--”

“Yes, and where we left off was your tongue down my throat and your hand halfway down my pants. And then Amber walked in and you had to pretend you were killing a bug that had climbed in there.” Ramón paused. “How the hell did we keep this a secret for two years? You’re a terrible liar and you hate bugs.” 

“Amber was pretty drunk, if you’ll recall.” 

“So were you…”

“No, I wasn’t.” Hope’s small smile bloomed into a grin when Ramón frowned. “I’d had one glass of wine. I just… I was hedging my bets. Plausible deniability if you didn’t like me back.”

“What?” He huffed. “Our whole relationship is built on a lie!”

“You just said I was a terrible liar,” she accused. 

“I stand corrected.” He let go of her to scoop his pants off the floor and tug them grumpily onto each leg. He swung his shirt over his head, only to get stuck in the sleeve for a moment before he wrestled the fabric into place indignantly. She let out a cackle at his antics. 

“What, you’d rather I _had_ been drunk when I made my move?” she asked incredulously. He zipped up his pants harshly, accidentally smacking himself in the belly when he let go of the pull.

“No, of course not. I wish I’d known you were sober.” He shook his head in disbelief. “I stood outside your bedroom door that night for like an hour. I didn’t want to start anything when you couldn’t consent, but I was pretty sure you were serious with that kiss.” He glared at her. “And then you went radio silent for weeks and I started to think you didn’t mean it. Christmas that year was miserable, missing you and wondering if we’d ruined our friendship.” He seemed genuinely hurt. 

She stepped forward with a sympathetic pout, the one she wore when she thought he was being particularly ridiculous and adorable, and cupped his face gently. He glared harder, making her laugh again. 

“I’m very sorry for that. I was a big fat chicken.” She brushed her lips against his. “You’re a good man and I love you very much and I’m ready to break out of our little bubble now.” 

“And you’re sure right now is the best time?” He sat on the edge of the bed. 

“Ramón.”

“No, I don’t want to live in secret anymore either. And, yeah, they’re all going to be here so it’s the most convenient way. And they’re probably not going to tease me too badly. And this is nothing like Chad and Kristi, yada yada yada. We’ve been over all that. But…” He lifted one shoulder. “They’re going to be hurt that we’ve been lying to them for two years.” Hope sighed and perched next to him and slid her hand into his. 

“We haven’t been lying. Per se.”

“Hope.”

“And we haven’t been _together_ -together for the whole two years…”

“Hope.”

“I know.”

They sat quietly for a long moment. 

“Well, they’ll start arriving in about fifteen minutes. I guess we’ll find out soon enough.” Ramón looked over at her. “You should put on a bra and brush your hair if you don’t want them figuring it out the second they walk in.”

“Fine, but you owe me round three.” 

#### -3-

“James, I think I’m going to be sick...”

Jimmy turned and looked at his wife in alarm, taking in the crowded interstate around them and the sheets of wet snow pelting their car. 

“Um,” he said helpfully. Amber covered her mouth with a shaky hand and closed her eyes, nodding frantically. He scanned the interior of the brand new SUV for some kind of container that his mind was already reminding him wasn’t there. “Um…”

She rolled down the window a little, cold air and icy pellets blasting her in the face immediately. She breathed deeply while he desperately searched for a solution. He spotted an exit up ahead. 

“Hang on.” He switched lanes quickly, ignoring the honking that followed him. Despite the snow, traffic was still moving at a decent clip. 

“I’m trying. Please don’t kill us.” She pressed her thumb deeply into a spot on her inner forearm below her wrist, some kind of acupressure thing Jimmy still wasn’t sure he understood. She claimed it helped. She let go quickly to clap her hand back over her mouth.

“Just don’t puke in the car, okay?” He steered quickly into the traffic on the access road, cutting across three lane quickly.

“I’d really rather not.” Amber groaned. “This damn baby.”

“Don’t call our child a _damn baby_ ,” Jimmy muttered distractedly, more focused trying to weasel into the turn lane to get to a gas station. 

“I will call it whatever I want to call it, when it’s ripping up my insides and making me want to puke every other hour.” She pressed her face to the cool glass of the window, tilting her nose up toward the narrow opening. He managed to force his way into the turn lane and was grateful it was too dark to see how many people probably flipped him the bird while he did it. “Hmmm… Actually... I think I’m feeling a little better.”

“Yeah?” He looked at her worriedly.

“Yeah. I think…” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I think it’s passed.” He pulled into a parking space as she nodded firmly. “We can keep going. Sorry.”

“Do you want to use the bathroom while we’re here? We’ve still got about two hours to go.”

“If I walk into a gas station bathroom right now, I will definitely puke.” Amber said, her tone decisive and repulsed. Jimmy didn’t blame her, though he worried about how she was going to make it two more hours without a bathroom. After four years of dating, almost six years of marriage, and a cumulative total of 17 road trips together, he knew they’d be pulling off the highway in another twenty minutes. 

“Are you--”

“--growing a human, inside of my body, from scratch and yet still able to know my own limits?”

“Right.” He waited a moment to be sure, but with the snow coming down harder and the weather report only promising more as the night wore on, he knew they needed to keep moving if they wanted to make it up into the mountains tonight. “Right,” he said again. Amber rolled her eyes, but it seemed more loving than exasperated. 

He had only just navigated them back onto the tollway, which was dramatically more congested than it was when they’d left it moments before, when she whimpered softly. He glanced over to see her press her clenched fist against her lips. He swore softly under his breath and started moving back toward the far right to reach the next exit. 

“No, it’s fine.” She clenched her jaw and swallowed hard. “Just keep going. This one will pass, too.” He gritted his teeth and kept to the right lane but didn’t take the exit. As they passed it, her breathing became heavier. 

“That’s it, we’re pulling over.”

“No, I’m fine!”

“You’re not fine! You’re green!”

“This is just my face!” 

“What?” Jimmy burst into laughter and she chuckled triumphantly next to him. She took a ragged breath and leaned against the window again. “Are you serious? I should keep going?”

She nodded in lieu of answering him verbally, which he did not find very reassuring. He compromised by staying in the slow lane and watching her as closely as the car in front of him. They passed another exit, then another. She didn’t seem to be improving, but she also wasn’t clutching her mouth, so he decided to trust her. Then a terrible noise came from inside her throat and her eyes widened.

“Oh my god!” Jimmy groaned as she hunched over and the long bangs of her pixie cut flopped limply onto her forehead. “Can I pull over _now_?” She nodded emphatically. He looked up in time to see the next exit whip by them. She moaned desperately and reached for the door handle. “Fuck! No, Amber. We’re on a bridge! There’s no shoulder!” 

He wanted to floor it, but he could tell the bridge was slicker than the highway surface on solid ground. He’d rather she puke on the floorboards than put their lives at risk. All three of their lives. She clawed at the armrest and looked at him through her bangs, clearly miserable. The second they left the bridge, he steered the vehicle to the closest shoulder, nearly putting them in the ditch and eliciting a chorus of honks. 

She flung open the door, wrestling with her seatbelt as she turned sideways. He reached over and tried to help, but their hands got in each other’s way and she ended up just throwing the shoulder strap over her head to lean outside. Her shoulders shook, but she didn’t open her mouth. He sat frozen, his hand still poised over her back, unsure if touching her would help or not at this point. 

Slowly, she leaned back into the car, her mouth still clamped shut. He caught her shoulders in both hands and guided her back toward him. She breathed deeply for a long moment as traffic whizzed by behind them. 

“That was close!” she mumbled. Her panting slowed and she started to shake from the cold air flooding the car.

“Did you…?”

“No, thank god.”

“Are you okay now?” he asked, even as she was pulling her feet back inside and shutting the door. She nodded, wrapping her arms around her middle. In a daze, he reached for her shoulder strap and pulled it back around her to its rightful place. “Are you sure?” He frowned skeptically. “Do you want to get out and walk around anyway?”

“In this mess?” She motioned to the snow and the bridge and the speeding cars like he was dimwitted. He lifted one shoulder. “No thanks.”

Against his better judgement, he turned on his blinker and peered behind him. It took several minutes for enough of a gap to appear for them to get back into the flow of traffic. He kept an eye on Amber as he got back up to speed. 

“I’m not sure this was such a good idea…” he started tentatively. 

“Just keep driving. I’ll let you know if I’m not okay.”

“I mean this whole trip.” He chewed his lower lip and waited for her to roll her eyes. He was being overprotective again, he knew, but it had only been a little over a month since the positive test. He was still nervous about… well, about everything, if he was being honest with himself. 

“Once we get to the cabin, it’s going to be exactly the same as being at home. Better, because I won’t have to go to work for nine whole days.” She reached beside her chair and slowly reclined the seat to get more comfortable. She closed her eyes. “You and Hope and Jackie do most of the heavy lifting for Thanksgiving dinner anyway, and I’ll take naps every day. It sounds amazing, actually.” 

“Okay, but--” Jimmy caught the movement of her eyebrows in the corner of his eye, though she didn’t bother to open her eyes to spear him with the quelling look he probably deserved. “I’m just concerned how you’re going to keep the pregnancy a secret if you’re napping and puking all the time,” he said finally, as if that was how he’d intended to end the sentence all along. 

“Hmmmm… I’m sure you’ll come up with something.”

“Me?” He frowned. “Why do I have to do the lying when you’re the one who wants to keep the secret in the first place?” He tentatively switched lanes, hoping he wouldn’t regret getting into the faster traffic and away from the exit lane.

“Because you’re not the one growing a human. Inside their body. From--”

“From scratch. Yes, I know.” He sighed. She did spear him with a look this time. He quickly amended, “And you’re doing an excellent job, by the way. Have I said lately?” He grinned cheekily at her and she snorted. “You’re absolutely glowing.”

“That would be the nausea sweats,” she said, her smile just as cheeky. She looked out the window and played with her own fingers. He waited. “I know it would be easier to announce when we’re all together, but I’m only at nine weeks. I don’t want to say anything until the second trimester. Just in case.” He reached over and took her hand, squeezing gently. She let her head thump against the headrest and closed her eyes again.

“I thought, when the first ultrasound was good this time…” He tried not to think about the other times. Still, the silence hung heavy between them for a long moment. “I thought that might take away some of the fear.” 

“It did, a little. But I still want to wait. Just a few more weeks.” Her voice was a little smaller than normal. 

He nodded and squeezed her hand again. They were quiet in the dark for the next few miles. He switched lanes again, increasing his speed around a large box truck. They were just passing Stewart Airport when she gripped his hand tighter. He looked over to see her sitting up, looking uncomfortable again. 

“Nausea?” He asked, already switching lanes back toward the upcoming exit. 

“No,” she said sheepishly. “I’ve gotta pee.”

#### -4-

“Okay, so. A bottle when she wakes up in the morning and one before nap and bed. The rest of the day, she should be fine with solids,” Mark looked at the incredibly detailed list in his hand and smiled to himself, both impressed and overwhelmed by his spouse’s ability to prepare for any contingency. He passed the sheet to his dad. “You’ve had her for the day before, so you know most of her routines, but we’ve made sure you’ve got all the information you’ll ever need.”

His dad chuckled and shook his head. “Don’t worry about us. Your mom and I will do just fine with Charlotte. You two need this time away. It’s been a rough year.” Mark clapped a hand on his father’s shoulder in silent thanks. “Where’s--?”

“Putting Charlotte down. They both wanted to do one more bedtime before we left.” Mark had already kissed his daughter goodbye six or seven times, so he couldn’t really fault the urge for a final snuggle. He was going to miss her, too, but he was also very ready to be just two adults for a week. His dad, as understanding as he was, actually didn’t know half of the hardships this year. Still, it wasn’t easy to leave her.

“Listen, just focus on your marriage and your friends this week. We’re a phone call away and we can video chat every night before bed if you need. But we’ve really got this. You’d better get on the road. The news says it’s going to get rough out there tonight.”

He heard low voices in the upstairs hall, right over the staircase. His mother’s voice floated toward him, sounding reassuring and just slightly exasperated. It was time for him to step in. 

“Hon, come on. We’ve gotta go, unless you want to stay here tonight,” he called. The brief pause that answered him made him rethink his words. “No. Don’t even think about it. We’re going.” His voice was more pleading than demanding, and his father chuckled at him. He sighed in mock longsuffering, bringing out another laugh from his dad. 

Finally, footsteps started toward him down the stairs. He hugged his dad quickly to make the exit as fast as possible. “Thanks for this,” he said for about the sixth time that night. He kissed his mom on the cheek and pulled their coats off the rack by the door. “Seriously. We owe you.”

“No you don’t,” his mother replied. “Have a great time.” She shooed them toward the door, aligned with Mark in his desire to get them out before anyone could change their minds. After a quick shuffle into coats and another round of hugs for everyone, they were spilling out onto the snowy porch.

“The roads are going to be awful,” he commented, trying for a distraction instead of another round of reassurance about Charlotte. 

“We don’t have to go…” Mark felt a cold hand worm into his as they trudged down the wet sidewalk toward their car. At a strong sniffle, Mark glanced over, but he was met by the side of a thick winter hood and he knew it hid tears. 

“Yes, we do.” He pressed a kiss to chilly fingers before he dropped the hand and opened the passenger door. “Honey, we need this. Our friends need this. You know, even Charlotte needs this. Bonding with her grandparents is important for her development.”

“We do need this.” They kissed for a long moment, one in the car and one standing outside of it. “Mmmmm, I need that. Need you.”

“I’m getting snowed on here,” Mark complained gently, giving one last peck before separating himself from those tempting lips and closing the door. 

He ran around the driver’s side, controlling the slide of his shoes in the slush to help with his momentum, like a child at Christmas. Now that they were out of the house, he was practically giddy for this trip. He shook the snow from his hair as he started the car. 

“Tonight,” he proclaimed officiously. “We’re going to sleep in a bed by ourselves and not be woken up until we want to be awake and we will stay in bed and make lazy love until Jimmy texts us that pancakes are ready.” 

“Texts? Your friends are that polite on these trips? I was under the impression that Hope and Taeya would burst into everyone’s room screaming about breakfast and generally create chaos.”

“They’ll have their own boyfriends to keep them busy. And also I will make sure we get a room with a door that locks.” This earned him a sassy _I told you so_ face, which he counted as a victory because it was almost entirely tear-free.

He turned on the radio at low level so they could keep talking, but they’d still hear any weather reports or traffic updates. Mark had a feeling they’d be on the road a lot longer than the planned three hours, especially as they got out of the cities and into the rural highways. Even so, he could feel himself relaxing into vacation mode. They hadn’t been alone in the car in months -- the last time they left Charlotte with his parents had been because of a double booking that had them both away from home and each other on a Saturday when her daycare was closed. 

“What do you think of this guy Taeya’s bringing? What was his name? John? You haven’t met him, right?”

“No. Remember we were all supposed to have dinner in September? But then the plans fell apart because… Well, September fell apart.” He felt some tension returning to his neck just from mentioning it and was answered with a low grunt of pained acknowledgment. He quickly continued, “He seems good for her, from everything she’s said. He actually… I dunno, he seems familiar to me and I can’t put my finger on what it is. Reminds me of one of her exes maybe? I feel like I know him.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure you know Hope’s boyfriend…”

“Do I?”

“You haven’t figured it out yet?”

“What do you know that you’re not telling me?”

“Many, many things, my dearest husband. As always.” 

Mark rolled his eyes at the cheeky tone. “And what, in specific, am I missing this time?”

“Be patient. You’ll know in about three hours.”

“More like four,” Mark said ruefully, looking at the GPS screen integrated into the dashboard. “God, I’ve never seen this many red lines outside of the cities.”

“It’s a holiday week and there’s a blizzard coming.” His hand was suddenly gripped anxiously. “I swear to god, Marcus, if we end up stranded at a roadside B and B halfway between Baltimore and the Poconos, I will murder you in the shower, _Psycho_ -style.”

“That was a motel, hon, and… noted.” Mark steered onto the congested highway. “But we’re not going to get stranded. I promise.”

#### -5-

“Cheeto me,” Taeya said with a grabby hand toward the worn passenger seat. John pressed the crinkly bag into her hand with a chuckle. “Thanks, cookie!”

“Oh my god, don’t call me cookie!” John groaned. 

“But it’s your name!” Taeya grinned unrepentantly, neon orange dust standing out starkly on her dark skin. John reached over and brushed it off with his thumb, a patient expression on his face. 

“You’re giving me playground flashbacks…” 

“Did the kids tease you?” She pouted a little, somehow simultaneously sympathetic and mocking. “John Cooke with an E? Cookie?”

“It’s not a hard leap, as you clearly just proved.” John took the cheeto bag from her and poured a few into his own mouth. “They called me Cookie Monster and ran away from me a lot.”

He uncapped a water bottle and handed it to her before she could ask. She smiled in thanks and took a small swig. Road trip rules were strict about liquid intake, and she and John were nothing if not professional roadtrippers. He crunched thoughtfully on the cheetos for a moment before switching the song on his phone hooked to the stereo through a fraying aux cord. Immediately, they both grinned and belted the opening lines of the song. John attempted a harmony with her melody but didn’t quite make it. He wrinkled his nose in distaste. 

“Nice try, bunny,” Taeya teased. She kept her eyes on the road, but they both knew she was waiting for his reaction.

“No, not that one either,” he said decisively. 

“But it fits! You look like a cute little bunny sometimes.” Taeya scrunched her nose back at him. “It’s really sweet.”

“You’re killing me and my fragile masculinity, Tae,” he said sarcastically. He took the water bottle from her, capped it, and handed her a napkin. 

“Your masculinity is just fine. Your muscles have muscles and you also cry at Hallmark movies. You contain multitudes.” She rolled her eyes. “Besides, we need pet names! You’re being a buzzkill.”

“What’s wrong with _babe_ or _honey_ like every other couple in America?”

“Because we’re not like every other couple in America. I mean, look at me. Do I look like anyone you’ve ever seen before?” She batted her lashes at him for a fraction of a second before she focused back on the slick, winding mountain pass ahead of them. She knew he was taking in her cornrow mohawk and librarian-style spectacles, and she also knew she looked amazing and that he agreed. “I am uniquely me and you are uniquely you and I would really like something that is uniquely ours, Monsieur Grumpypants.”

“I like that one,” he quipped. “But it’s a little too French. My ancestry’s more on the Scandinavian side of Europe.”

“Yes, well, while I enjoy looking at your fit white ass, the Scandinavians are just boring. I’m ninety-nine percent sure that the way to address a grown man is just _Mister_ in Danish, Norwegian, and Luxembourgish.”

“There is no fucking way that _Luxembourgish_ is the name of the language spoken by the people of Luxembourg.” He scoffed. “First of all, they probably just speak French or German or something. But wouldn’t it be Luxembourgian?” 

“Look it up,” she challenged, running her tongue across the front of her top teeth in distaste for his doubt (and possibly to make sure she didn’t have cheetos in her teeth). He was already pulling his phone closer to his face and making a tangle of the aux cord. The music crackled for a second until he took a little more care.

“No way…” he breathed, swiping and scrolling in disbelief. He looked up at her as the small hatchback’s engine struggled up a steep hill. She shifted gears smugly. “You know the weirdest shit. Your brain must be a really interesting place to live in.”

“You have no idea,” she said, a dark tinge to her tone. She cackled madly after a second. “It’s really fucking awesome, actually.” John grinned back at her and twined their hands together. 

“And yet it can’t come up with a unique pet name?” John teased, tugging her back on topic even if he wasn’t sure he’d enjoy where it would lead. Taeya sighed dramatically. 

“I guess we’re just going to have to let it happen organically.” She sighed again even deeper. “Boring.”

“Whatever you want, my little sweet potato.” 

“Ew, no. No food names.”

“You literally just--”

“Was that the turn?” Taeya asked, glancing over her shoulder at the street sign they’d just passed. 

“Uh…?” John looked at his phone, which was still helpfully telling him about three administrative languages of Luxembourg -- two of which were French and German, thank you very much -- and not at all showing the map of the remote cabin they were trying to reach in a snowstorm. 

“Shotgun’s supposed to navigate. Why aren’t you navigating, shotgun?” she accused. 

“There’s a pet name if I ever heard one,” he muttered, switching quickly back to the map. “Looks like it’s the next one, actually. We’re good.” 

“Thanks, Shotgun.” She smirked at him. “Can I have a cookie, Shotgun?”

“That’s not going away anytime soon, is it?” he asked as he slid a whole Girl Scout Thin Mint straight into Taeya’s mouth, like a CD into a player. She crunched around it in surprise, grunting out a muffled confirmation unrepentantly. “Lovely. I’m sure a moniker like that is really going to win the respect and admiration of all your friends this week.” She finished chewing and swallowed to free her mouth.

“It’s going to be such a great week!” As she slowed the car to take the turn he’d indicated, the engine made an ominous _clonking_ sound, but she continued as if nothing were amiss. “I can’t wait for you to meet them all. Especially my bestie! Meeps is the best of the besties.”

“Do you call anyone in the group by their real names?” He twined his fingers with hers, nerves increasing the closer they got to the cabin. There was about to be a lot of new people in a very short amount of time in a fairly enclosed space. He had a hard time refusing Taeya anything, but definitely not something as important as this trip. But it still made him a little anxious. “And am I going to get to learn any of them?”

“Hmmmm…” Taeya thought for a moment. “You ask a very interesting question, Shotgun. No, I don’t think I do, actually. Gin and Llama, RM, Hobi, Twig and Gaga, and Meeps. Nope, none of them. Gin’s the closest, I think. His real name’s Jim. Well. Everyone else calls him Jimmy, but I suppose his real name is actually James. So there’s one, for you. For free even.” She grinned at him. 

“And you call him Gin because….” he asked, preparing a second cookie as a bribe in case she decided to be stubborn.

“He brought Tanqueray to our first college party when everyone else brought Pabst and Boone’s Farm. Hobi and I couldn’t stop mocking him. At some point, it became a habit. Meeps and Llama are the only ones who don’t call him Gin most of the time. I guess that’s where all the nicknames started, actually…”

“Llama?” John said slowly. “You legitimately call one of your friends Llama and no one even raises an eyebrow?” Taeya shrugged.

“Oh, poor sweet innocent Shotgun…” She let go of his hand to tousle his hair like a child. He wriggled away and smoothed his shaggy hair back into place. “I’ve done a lot of crazier things. It takes a lot to rile them up these days.” Her fingers began idly running through his long hair. He loved when she did that. 

“I’m…” He blinked and stopped himself. “No, you know what, I know better than to ask.” She gave him a winning smile. “But does that mean they’re going to see me as just another crazy thing you’re doing.” Taeya snorted and waggled her eyebrows suggestively at his phrasing but stopped when it was clear he was actually concerned. 

“They’re going to love you!” She grabbed his hand again. He motioned to the left at a crossroads and she steered with one hand to follow. “Meeps is going to love you. Just wait. I mean, to be fair, I don’t think there’s a person alive that she doesn’t like. But there’s also definitely no one alive that doesn’t love her, so it balances. I think you two will really get along. You’ve got a lot in common, actually.”

“I’m excited to meet her,” he said, a nervous smile blossoming on his features. “Take the next right. The house should be the third driveway on the left.”


	2. 1. Arrivals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said updates once a week, but posting only the Prologue is maybe the slowest way to start a story, so here's Chapters 1 and 1.5. All updates will have two chapters -- one narrative scene and one epistolary-style scene, so be sure to click through. The way Ao3 notifies about updates can make it easy to miss content.

Mina pulled her suitcase up the broad, snowy steps, peering at the house numbers one last time. Every time they did this, they stayed at a new rental place, sometimes in other states, and she never got used to walking directly into unfamiliar houses. Hope and Ramón had been in charge of booking the place this time, so she wasn’t sure it was supposed to look like an expensive ski lodge. It was a lot nicer than the places they usually ended up, but she supposed they had a lot more people to accommodate this year. 

She glanced over at Eugene. He’d followed her onto the porch, silently shaking thick snowflakes out of his black hair and looking distinctly chilly. She’d forgotten how much he hated winter. It was one of the reasons she’d picked him to come with her as her “date” -- neither of them had any interest in being outside in the snow, so she wouldn’t get left alone to third wheel. He shivered and looked at her questioningly. That was enough to get her over her slight trepidation and open the thick wooden door. 

“Hello?” Mina called as she pushed inside. She tried not to gasp aloud at the interior of the place. It was even nicer than the outside, full of exposed logs and cozy rugs and leather furnishings and general luxury. It was going to be a nice week. “Hope? Ramón?” 

She peeked through a large archway further into the entryway, taking in the steps down into an expansive living room filled with multiple leather couches and chairs and a giant stone fireplace. She slipped off her wool coat and draped it over the handle of her suitcase as she peered around.

A shrill squeal greeted her, the voice echoing off the vaulted ceilings and reaching her before Hope appeared from another, smaller archway across from them. Mina grinned as Hope ran at her and hugged her tightly. 

Mina flung her arms around her friend. It had been far too long since they’d seen each other outside of a screen, and even too long since that. Suddenly, the last months of loneliness threatened to engulf her, as if it was only now, in its absence, that Mina could truly feel it. She swallowed hard, squeezed Hope tightly, and let the joy of the moment wash over her, too.

“Oh my god! You chopped your hair!” Hope cried, pulling back and immediately running her hand through Mina’s hair as if it were her own. Mina didn’t mind, though she could feel Eugene trying not to stare at how  _ much _ Hope was. “It’s amazing! Best style you’ve ever had, I think. You look chic and mature and… hot!” Mina chuckled and blushed a little. 

“Thanks! I needed something new after…” Mina faltered. She hadn’t really talked about the breakup with her friends, other than to say that it had happened. “Anyway, it stuck. I really like it.” Hope nodded and turned toward Eugene, though Mina didn’t miss her subtle scrutiny and knew she’d get questions later. “Hope, this is Eugene. He’s--”

The door opened and let in a gust of cold air and a few stray flakes. Mina jumped back, pulling her suitcase with her to make room for Amber and Jimmy. Hope squealed again, diving forward to pull Amber into a hug and further into the cabin.

“You’re here! How was the drive? You look ill. Did you get car sick? Was the drive just awful?” Hope’s rapid fire questions poured out as she hugged Amber and basically danced her out of the way as Jimmy stepped inside with a suitcase in each hand and Amber’s purse on his shoulder. Eugene discreetly shut the door behind him. Hope pulled away and frowned. “Seriously, you’re really pale. Do you need to sit down?”

“No, I’m fine! I promise,” Amber said weakly, patting Hope on the shoulder in a soothing manner that Mina recognized from their college days. Amber had a way of keeping Hope’s energy and enthusiasm in check without taking away her personality. “Just a long drive. Standing’s good, actually.” Hope eyed her critically for a few seconds but then leapt toward Jimmy, who had just divested himself of almost all his baggage. 

“Gin!” She threw her arms around his broad frame. He rolled his eyes. “How the hell are you?”

“Hi, Hopie,” Jimmy said fondly, if not a little exasperatedly. Mina bit back a chuckle. They were already falling back into their old patterns, and she found there was nothing more in the whole world she needed right now. “Where’s Ramón? And you said you had someone for us to meet?” Jimmy arched an eyebrow, his Big Brother role settling over him like a comfortable sweater. 

“He’s in the kitchen,” Hope said brightly, though whether she was referring to Ramón or to her new boyfriend was unclear. 

“Mina!” Amber said, pulling her into a quick hug. Mina agreed with Hope -- she looked really pale. “Love the hair!” Amber and Jimmy kept teasing each other about something, though Mina didn’t really tune into their antics.

“Thanks! Yours, too,” Mina said, pulling back to blink at the blonde pixie with a tight fade on the sides that Amber was sporting. Amber’s hand automatically went to the short hairs at the back of her head in a gesture that Mina would read as self-conscious on anyone else but on Amber just looked like she was reconfirming a recent change. “It’s very… Victoria Beckham. But better. Actually, maybe more Pink? Whatever it is, it’s excellent.”

“It’s a little extreme, right? But I needed a change.” Amber lifted a shoulder wearily. Mina instantly wondered how much weight that shoulder carried. It had been far too long for all of them. 

“Well, it’s not more extreme than the time you shaved it…” Mina offered. Amber considered this, then laughed. 

“I forgot I did that. God, college feels like a whole other lifetime.” 

“My turn!” Jimmy said, pulling Mina into a quick hug. “Hey, kid.” Mina bit back a retort about being twenty-nine goddamn years old, knowing it would do nothing to stop him from calling her kid. 

“Hey, buddy. It’s good to see you.” She tilted her head toward Amber, who was being fussed over again by Hope. “You taking good care of this one?”

“Trying to…” Jimmy answered, his voice a little pained. “The drive wasn’t good.”

“Gin, your wife needs a stiff drink, I think. It sounds like these mountain roads are treacherous.” Hope caught sight of Eugene again, who had kind of backed up into the wall behind him as if trying to become part of it. He was even still wearing his puffy parka and thick scarf. “Oh my god, I’m sorry! Gene, was it?”

“Eugene,” Mina and Eugene said at the same time as all heads swiveled toward him. Mina bit her lip to shut herself up. He could answer for himself, she knew, but she had the uncomfortably stretched feeling of her two worlds colliding. Eugene was from her family and childhood world, the rest were from her college and adult life. She wished she’d thought this through a little more, suddenly desperate for everyone to get along. 

“Eugene Min. Nice to meet you... Hope?” Eugene stretched out his hand. Hope nodded and took his hand for a moment, though Mina could tell she found the motion a little too formal. Mina grinned. By the end of the week, Hope would be just as handsy with him as she was with the rest of them. Mina opened her mouth to introduce him to the others.

“Hey!” Ramón smiled broadly as he entered the room from the same direction Hope had appeared. “I thought I heard Mina, but I didn’t know you guys were here yet. Welcome!” He set his wine glass on the nearest surface, a rich mahogany credenza on one side of the double archway leading into the living room. God, it was nice here.

He slung an arm around Mina and tugged her against his side with a squeeze. She smiled up at him. He dipped low to place a kiss on her cheek in greeting. She was fairly solid in her identity as the shortest in the group, but she’d forgotten just how much she had to crane her neck to make eye contact with any of the boys. It was like they all shrank in her memory while they were out of her sight.

“Hi, friend!” she said, feeling a gooey kind of nostalgia taking over as each member of their group came together. “Where’s your girl? I want to meet her.” His eyes flicked nervously to Hope’s for an instant before he shrugged. 

“We’ll get to that in a minute. But first, who’s this gentleman?” he asked, his voice low and conspiratorial over her head. “Is he good enough for you, Mini?” Mina groaned and shoved him away. He went laughing. 

“Don’t call me Mini, Moan-y,” she shot back. He instantly put his hands up in surrender. She smirked at him in triumph. She’d managed to kill most of the nicknames early on, since this group was so fond of them and fond of teasing about her “pocket-sized” height as they called it. Though she’d never broken Taeya of the nicknames... Taeya was a force to be reckoned with and Mina didn’t fancy a reckoning. 

Ramón gave hugs all around and poor Eugene backed up against the wall again. Mina slid over so that she could stand with him and whisper an apology. He waved his hand dismissively and said in an undertone, “I can tell it’s been awhile for all of you. I can wait. Plus, I’m getting a pretty good introduction from over here. A crash course.” Mina bumped her shoulder against his gratefully. She motioned toward his coat and scarf and he pulled them both off, eyeing his proximity to the door warily. He really hated winter.

Ramón finished teasing Jimmy about the purse that was still on his shoulder and said, “I just got a text from the Kings. They say they got a late start, so they’re further out than expected. Highways are closing left and right. The National Weather service has issued a Winter Storm Warning. They’re stuck in a small town called Bethlehem of all places.”

“Oh no!” Hope said, though her dismay trailed off into a tiny snicker. “Are they going to be able to find a place to stay for the night or is it a stable for them?” Mina bit her lip.

“It’s the wrong holiday for that,” Jimmy quipped. 

“Well, this is what they get for not celebrating Christmas,” Hope shot back. “The universe is balancing the scales.”

“Hope, they’re Jewish!” Amber scolded. 

Hope shrugged, but Jimmy beat her to the punchline, “So were Mary and Joseph.” Amber rolled her eyes hard and sighed. Jimmy just laughed a squeaky laugh that Hope joined instantly. Mina had missed this. 

“Well, I’m pretty sure Jackie’s not pregnant,” Amber said in spite of herself. Hope high-fived her. 

“Or a virgin, for that matter…” Mina muttered, earning a snort from at least three people, though she couldn’t tell who.

“Anyway! They’re stuck for the night,” Ramón said. “Anyone heard from Taeya?” 

“They were right behind us,” Amber said. “Should be here any minute.” Amber glanced at the door like it might open right that second and caught sight of Mina and Eugene standing off to the side. “Oh, right. We got sidetracked. Eugene?”

Mina cleared her throat and jumped into introductions, “Eugene, this is Ramón, Hope, and Jimmy and Amber. Everyone, this is Eugene Min. He’s--”

“Wait, is he the one you grew up with? Your brother’s friend?” Hope asked excitedly. Eugene frowned but nodded. Mina chuckled to herself -- he was much better friends with her than her brother, who’d kind of annoyed them both by doing exactly what their parents had expected of them and becoming a lawyer with two children and a gorgeous Korean wife. “Mina! Are you two--” 

The door crashed open and more snow swirled onto the welcome mat and gleaming hardwood floors. 

“Hello all! I have arrived!” Taeya declared, entering the cabin with her arms flung wide. Everyone exclaimed with delight, including Mina. Taeya always did know how to command an audience. Before anyone could step forward to hug her, she was sweeping to the side and gesturing grandly to the muscular man in the doorway behind her. “And this is my new paramour extraordinaire, John Cooke. John, this is --”

“Mina?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're reading this on Update Day, don't forget to click "next" for the interstitial epistolary scene.


	3. 1.5 Reunion Chat

**August 24 - 4:13 PM**

**Hopeworld** : You guyyyyys it’s been too long when are we doing a reunion?   
**Hopeworld** : Friendsgiving?   
**Hopeworld** : Can we make it happen this year?

 **Mr.King** : It’s August… Are we already planning the holidays?

 **Amberloohoo** : Oh, yes, please! 🦃🍗🥧

 **SecretArgentMan** : Because these things take time and also maybe savings?

 **Hopeworld** : Exactly. We’re already too late for Labor Day   
**Hopeworld** : And that didn’t work out too well for us last year anyway

 **GinnyILostABetLewis** : Amber, you just don’t want to go to my mother’s hours for the second yard in a row.   
**GinnyILostABetLewis** : *house   
**GinnyILostABetLewis** : Dammit. *year, to0

 **Amberloohoo** : I love your mother. *You’re* the one who suggested Bermuda for the holidays after last year. 🤷🏼‍♀️

 **TaeTaeV** : I’m in as long as it’s not actually in Bermuda because I have no money :((((( but I want to see you all so anything in driving distance is fine with me as long as Giuseppe doesn’t break down again

 **Mr.King** : I don’t know that I can leave J and the baby… 

**Hopeworld** : Bring J!   
**Hopeworld** : And the babyyyyyy! 

**Amberloohoo** : Yasssssss BRING THE BABY 👶🏼👑

 **Mr.King** : That’s not actually a vacation for either of us, people. Pulling her out of her routine is… Trust me, it’s no good.   
**Mr.King** : But if you’re actually cool with J coming…?

 **GinnyILostABetLewis** : J’s awlays welcome.   
**GinnyILostABetLewis** : *always

 **Mr.King** : Yeah, sure… 

**SecretArgentMan** : You’re allowed to bring your spouse to Rodin stuff, Mark.

 **Mr.King** : ?

 **SecretArgentMan** : Have you been thinking you aren’t allowed bring your SPOUSE to Rodin stuff, MARK?!

 **Mr.King** : I just figured… After the K/C problems, we’ve been exclusively No Couples…

 **TaeTaeV** : Holy shit, MARK ARE YOU KIDDING ME you’re m.a.r.r.i.e.d what the hell bring J

 **Amberloohoo** : I’m a spouse and I’ve been here the whole time.   
**Amberloohoo** : I just thought Jackie didn’t like the whole group 

**Mr.King** : WHAT. J likes you all just fine. We have R & H over for dinner all the time... We’ve hosted all of you at one point or another. Why would you think that?

 **GinnyILostABetLewis** : ...because J stayed home every year? 

**Mr.King** : Fuck.

 **TaeTaeV** : We can be really loud!! and obnoxious!!! and I thought maybe J got overwhelmed

 **Mr.King** : Have you met my better half? I’m the one who gets overwhelmed by loud and obnoxious. J is... the embodiment of noise and trouble.   
**Mr.King** : Just… Look at how many contacts are in this group chat right now...

 **Hopeworld** : Oh my godddd we’re the WORST 

**GinnyILostABetLewis** : Huh?

 **Amberloohoo** : We didn’t even invite J to the group chat, you guys. No wonder they thought J wasn’t invited in person! 🤦🏼‍♀️

 **SecretArgentMan** : We are definitely the worst.   
**SecretArgentMan** : Okay! New plan. This year is the First Inaugural Couples-Only Retreat and Snogfest. Everyone is coupled up at this point anyway.

 **Amberloohoo:** We are? *You* are? Since when?

 **SecretArgentMan** : Hey! I have a girlfriend thankyouverymuch

 **Hopeworld** : Ummmmmm, guys…   
**Hopeworld** : Not *everyone* has someone.

 **GinnyILostABetLewis** : Girlfriend? Since when?

 **Mr.King** : Oh no, Hope did you break up with that guy?

 **TaeTaeV** : I do!!!!!

 **Hopeworld** : What? No? We’re fine. I wasn’t talking about me.

 **Amberloohoo** : Yes, Tae, you haven’t shut up about him. 😜

 **TaeTaeV** : Pardon me for being smitten with the norse god that is my new boyfriend.   
**TaeTaeV** : WAIT,,, HOBI,,, WHO?   
**TaeTaeV** : Secrets and lies, all of you.

 **Hopeworld** : Oh, sorry, did I forget to tell you? 😊

 **TaeTaeV** : O.o 

**HopeWorld** : ( ˘ ³˘)♥

 **TaeTaeV** : So we ARE all coupled off !!! you and RM are apparently dating even though this is the first I’m hearing about this so thanks for that >>:( and I’ve got John <333 and the rest of you are married {vomit emoji}

 **SecretArgentMan** : Tae, you can’t just write “{vomit emoji}”. That’s not how emojis work.

 **MiniMina** : [waves] hi my name is mina park and i’m single and that makes me invisible APPARENTLY

 **TaeTaeV** : HOLYSHITMEEPS I’M SO SORRY where the hell have you been anyway? Are you in for Friendsgiving???? You’re allowed come alone but you {{{have}}} to come

 **MiniMina** : how very gracious of you

 **Hopeworld** : Seriously, Mina, we neeeeeeed to see you. You’re not allowed to back out of this. No more running.

 **MiniMina** : way to drag my ass in the group chat, hope

 **Hopeworld** : Well, this is what you get for ignoring me in our chat with just the two of us!

 **MiniMina** : that’s….fair   
**MiniMina** : [sigh] fine   
**MiniMina** : dates?

 **SecretArgentMan** : Maybe this won’t work, but since it’s been two years since we’ve all been in the same place, can we take the whole week? Drive in on the Friday night or Saturday before Thanksgiving and leave the Sunday after? 

**TaeTaeV** : I don’t know if I can get that much time off,,,, but I’m willing to try!!!

 **MiniMina** : going freelance gives me the flexibility but not a lot of cash   
**MiniMina** : where are we going?

 **Amberloohoo** : James and I can make that work! 🧳🥳💃🎉

 **Hopeworld** : I nominate me and Ramón for the house procurement. I was thinking the Poconos? Not too far for anyone to drive, but far enough to really get awaaaaay 

**Mr.King** : That’s a long time to be away from the baby… I’ll check with J, but we can probably come for at least part of it...

 **SecretArgentMan** : I’m cool with that. With 11 or 12 people, we should be able to split the cost pretty easily. 

**TaeTaeV** : I’ll ask John tomorrow on our *OnE mONth aNnIveRsARy*

 **MiniMina** : congrats!

 **TaeTaeV** : Why do I sense mocking in that one single word

 **Amberloohoo** : Because we’re always just a little bit mocking you at all times? 🙃

 **TaeTaeV** : That must be it

 **HopeWorld** : WOOOO!   
**HopeWorld** : Friendsgiving: Now With Couples!

 **MiniMina** : ← still single

 **TaeTaeV** : Don’t worry Meeps /// we’ll find you somebody

 **HopeWorld** : Oh, yessssssss

 **Amberloohoo** : I *do* have some friends in the city 

**MiniMina** : NO THANK YOU i will bring my own date

 **Mr.King** : J has this friend at work you might like, M

 **GinnyILostABetLewis** : Mina, you don’t have to bring anyone. We really just want to see you. 

**MiniMina** : well now i’ve been challenged and you all know how i feel about that

 **SecretArgentMan** : Okay, so a cabin for 12 in the Poconos it is. 

**Hopeworld** : I can’t waaaaaiiiittttttt


	4. 2. Fake Boyfriend

Eugene watched silently as all color drained out of Mina’s face. This new guy, John, stood in the doorway, snow billowing around his long, sleek brown hair like a goddamned shampoo commercial. His eyes were wide and his mouth was hanging open. 

The girl who’d announced him, who Eugene figured had to be Taeya, was a gorgeous black woman with an epic and yet elegant faux-hawk of braids crowning her head and a presence like no one he’d ever seen before, even in the music industry. She was currently glancing back and forth between her boyfriend and Mina, her head swiveling on her neck a bit like a bobblehead. 

Eugene watched Mina carefully, fighting the urge to march her straight out the door and back to the car if only to protect her from whatever was happening right now.

“What is happening right now?” Taeya asked, a smile skirting around her lips but not really landing. Mina and John continued to stare at each other. “Meeps?”

“Meeps?” John echoed, breaking eye contact with Mina to turn to Taeya. “This is Meeps?  _ This _ is Meeps?”

“You know her?” Taeya asked faintly. “I mean, apparently you do, but… What the hell is happening right now?” 

A sudden gust of wind brought in a flurry of snowflakes and a deep chill. Eugene shivered involuntarily as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. His small movement next to her seemed to snap Mina out of whatever trance she’d fallen into.

“JC, what are you doing here?” she asked. She took a small step forward before she caught herself and stopped. Eugene thought her eyes were shinier than usual and something clenched in his chest in recognition: JC.

“J...JC?” Taeya said, beating him to it. “As in… JC who you dated? JC who moved away and broke your--”

“Yes, thank you, Tae,” Mina cut her off sharply. She gave Taeya a pointed look and then glanced at John, who was still standing in the doorway, noticeably damper and even more shell-shocked than before.

“Ummm,” Hope said slowly, her volume much lower than Eugene had experienced so far. At least, he was pretty sure she was called Hope. He hadn’t locked the names in before they’d been so egregiously interrupted. But he was pretty sure the redhead was Hope and the nauseated one was Ashley. Or Amber? Dammit. Hope twisted her fingers into a tangle. “As much as I hate interrupting what is clearly a very uncomfortable moment between old friends, why don’t we take this to the living room. Or at least close the door?” 

Hope raised her eyebrows at Taeya, who jolted in realization and then tugged John further into the house to slam the door behind him. This had the unfortunate effect of drawing John within arm’s reach of Mina as the number of bodies filling the entryway overcame its intended limits, even as grand as it was. Mina stepped back, bumping into Eugene. He steadied her with a hand on her back. Then, feeling her tremble a little, he couldn’t help but wrap his arm around her shoulders. He didn’t miss the way John’s eyes followed the movement. JC’s eyes. The shithead. Let him watch.

“Okay, can someone please explain?” the tall blond one asked, an undertone of natural authority in his voice. Eugene thought his name was Jim. Or maybe Jin? Unlikely name for a white guy, but the night was full of improbable things. Everyone looked between Mina and John, but it was Taeya’s resonant voice that broke the silence.

“This is John, my new boyfriend,” her chin wobbled as she said, “and apparently Mina’s ex-boyfriend.” 

The chorus of surprise and exclamation that followed made the entryway seem even smaller. Mina shrank into Eugene’s side. He pulled her closer and tried not to be pleased when she didn’t pull away, his hand sliding down to her waist. They were against a broad wall, blocked by a long hall table on one side and the closed front door on another, with the crush of bodies ahead of them. If Eugene felt this trapped, he couldn’t imagine how Mina felt. 

“How…?” Ramón’s gentle, ever-so-slightly-accented voice somehow broke through the din. His confusion was mirrored on every face, though Hope looked more pained than confused. “How did this happen?”

“John and I met a few months ago, at The Capri in Philly. We… we hit it off right away.” Taeya’s fond expression was laced with discomfort. Her eyes flicked to Mina before something seemed to dawn on her and she turned to John. “That’s why you were there. She recommended it to you?” John nodded slowly, almost guiltily.

“She... You…” He looked conflicted between which pronoun to use, since he was answering Taeya but was looking only at Mina. “...talked about it a lot, when you talked about college. After I moved, I just… Well, I went to a lot of the places you mentioned.”

“Makes sense you’d run into Tae there, then,” Mina said. Her voice quivered slightly, though Eugene wondered if he was the only one who would notice, being pressed up against her side. She swallowed hard and pulled a benign smile onto her face. Eugene was surprised to realize he knew this smile -- it was the same one she used when talking to their mothers when they were being particularly meddlesome. “Sounds like you’re doing well, then.”

“Yeah, I’m…” John said softly, as if they were alone. Then he glanced at Taeya and his face changed just enough for Eugene to realize that, whatever complications were occurring right now, he truly cared about Taeya. John turned back and shook his head, hard. “This is messed up. I’m sorry. I should just--” He looked at the door. 

“Hey y’all, why don’t we leave these three alone to sort this out, yeah?” Amber/Ashley said. She held out her hands in a gesture that reminded Eugene inexplicably of a mother hen gathering her chicks back to the coop. The redhead, the pretty guy, and Ramón (at least he had that one down) followed obediently. Ashber studied Eugene for a second, taking in the arm around Mina’s waist. “Eugene? Would you like to come with us and have a drink?” 

At the suggestion that he leave her behind, Mina’s hand wormed up behind him to grip the back of his shirt surreptitiously. A clear signal for him to stay.

“No, thank you,” he said as pleasantly as he could muster. He knew Ambley meant well, but he wasn’t sure he’d have moved even if Mina had asked him to leave herself. “I’m good right here.” John looked between them, his expression changing as if he was coming out of a fog. 

“Mina, who is he?” His tone wasn’t accusatory, per se, but Eugene still didn’t like it. Taeya pursed her lips.

“This is Eugene,” Mina answered. There was something apologetic in her voice, but she still pressed closer against his side. He couldn’t help the way his hand curled around her hip. John’s eyes skittered toward the movement.

“And Eugene is?” John asked. This time there was a little more accusation. Taeya tilted her head in his direction, slightly dumbfounded. Eugene felt something dangerous rise up in his throat. 

Maybe it was just remembering how drunk Mina had been at that barbecue place earlier in the spring and how much she had cried as he walked her home (and how much she’d puked on his shoes) and how listless she’d been throughout the summer. Or maybe it was just being spoken of as if he wasn’t in the room. Or maybe it was his mother’s voice in his head, reminding him of everything he’d wanted since he was sixteen. Or maybe it was all of these reasons and more. Whatever the catalyst, he found himself answering for her.

“I’m her boyfriend.” He stuck out his other hand. Mina stiffened, but he couldn’t help himself as he continued, “It’s good to meet you. John was it? Or is it JC? I can’t quite keep up.” He arched an eyebrow, daring the kid to give a reason for his subterfuge. Who the hell changed names between girlfriends?

Mina shifted against Eugene’s side, trying to pull away for the first time since John arrived. He held her hip lightly, not increasing the pressure but not moving his hand. He’d probably just fucked everything up, but there was something glorious in the surprise on John’s face. 

“Oh...“ he said slowly. Then a weak smile broke over his features. “Oh, that’s great!” All three blinked at him, and he let out a relieved chuckle as he shook Eugene’s hand firmly. “Mina, the second I saw you, I was so afraid I was ruining your getaway with your friends. I mean, this is still really awkward, I know. But if we’ve both… moved on? It’s a little better, right?”

“Uh,” Mina said faintly. “Yes, of course. Moved on.” She turned to Eugene. He could see the mania right behind the thin veneer of cordiality. “Yep! That’s what we’ve both done! For sure!” 

“Meeps,” Taeya said slowly. “I had no idea, honestly. I swear. I’d never--”

“Hey, no, it’s cool,” Mina said, a different kind of panic welling up for Eugene to see. She waved a frantic hand at her best friend. “It’s totally--” She paused. “Well, no, it’s absolutely awkward and ridiculous, but we’re all adults and we’ve all… moved on, as they say.” Her voice was over-bright on the last few words and she leaned in to rest her head lovingly on Eugene’s shoulder in what he deemed a bit of overkill but Taeya seemed to think was genuine affection. 

“Still, this is…” John started. “Maybe I should go?”

“What?” Taeya gaped at him, then looked at Mina. Even Eugene could tell she was conflicted between saving her best friend’s dignity and wanting a week away with her new boyfriend. This was a mess. Mina snuggled closer and put her left hand flat on Eugene’s chest.

“John, it’s fine. Stay,” she said. Eugene felt her swallow hard, her throat practically jammed against the ball of his shoulder. “The roads are terrible. There’s no use killing yourself trying to get back down the mountain tonight when we’re all perfectly fine.” The way the last word squeaked undercut her point a little, but Taeya sagged with relief anyway.

“Yeah, shotgun, stick around a bit. I like my boyfriends alive.” She bumped her shoulder against his amiably. His half smile gave way to a full grin.

“Shotgun. Right.” He chuckled. Mina gripped the back of Eugene’s shirt hard at the sound. Or maybe it was because of the way John looked at Taeya. This was going to be a long night. “You said that wasn’t going away.”

“And neither are you.” Taeya said firmly. She clapped her hands. “Now that that’s settled, let’s get these bags to our rooms.”

Mina and Eugene separated to grab their own suitcases and followed Taeya and John into the living room, where the others were perched on couches in what looked like the fakest conversation he’s ever seen. He knew they’d been listening in seven seconds ago. Ramón perched on the arm of the chair that Hope was sitting in and Jim and Amber were on the couch across from them. At least, Eugene hoped he’d gotten that right.

“So, what are the sleeping arrangements, Hobi?” Taeya asked, aiming her question toward the redhead. Maybe Eugene had heard all the names wrong? Taeya hesitated, looking around the room at the empty spaces on the long leather couches and overstuffed chairs. “We appear to be missing four people. Are we waiting on room assignments until they arrive, or have you already claimed spaces and squirreled away your significant others?” 

“Oh, about that…” Hope’s smile faltered and she looked up at Ramón. He shook his head slightly and she sighed. “Ramón and I are losers who couldn’t scrounge up partners for the week’s festivities, so we’re both solo this trip. Again.” Ramón rolled his eyes.

“What? You guys were the biggest proponents of the First Inaugural Couples-Only Retreat and Snogfest,” Taeya accused.

“Well, to be fair, it was Mark and Jackie’s idea…” Amber said from her corner of the couch. Her color had normalized a little, but Eugene still wondered if she’d caught something. The last thing this week needed was a bug running through the group. “Mark was jealous that I got to come when he had to leave Jackie at home.”

“But you’re practically OG,” Taeya protested. “You guys got married while most of us were still at school.” 

“Mark met Jackie at our wedding! They’ve been together nearly eight years, y’all.” Amber scolded them, then tucked her knees up to her chest and leaned her head back against the couch as if they'd worn her out. “But the two of you were so eager…” She let the leading sentence hang in the air. 

“Well, unlike Hope over here, I’m not a loser.” Ramón declared. He glared at her and stuck out his tongue. “I didn’t need to scrounge someone up because I already have a girlfriend. We got together right after the last trip, when we were in the Adirondacks, and I didn’t want to leave her behind this time. But it didn’t end up mattering, because she’s obviously not here… for… reasons.” He finished somewhat lamely and nudged Hope with his foot. 

“I was just lumping myself in with you so you wouldn’t feel lonely,” she started petulantly. “My boyfriend bailed at the last second.” She noticed all the concerned eyes on her at the word  _ bailed _ and waved a hand hurriedly. “He got a little intimidated about meeting all of you at once and I couldn’t talk him out of it. He’s a great guy though. I wish he were here.” She looked pointedly at Ramón. Eugene mentally shrugged when he couldn’t decipher the expression on Ramón’s face. Too many inside jokes with a group like this -- he should just give up now. 

“Anyway, there are five rooms, each with king- or queen-sized beds,” Ramón continued, breaking the weird tension that hung around after their declarations of missing partners. “Two downstairs and three upstairs.”

“Five?” Jimmy said. He ticked off his fingers, counting the couples. “But I thought there’d be six. Weren’t your partners coming when you booked last month?” 

“Oh, yes, of course,” Hope said airily. She chuckled and elbowed Ramón. He grunted and took over.

“Yeah, there was… There was a mix up with the listing.” He scrunched his face up, though whether in annoyance or quick thinking, Eugene couldn’t be sure. “The owners somehow thought these two couches counted. As if the living room was an acceptable sleeping space.”

“So, who’s taking the couch, you or Hope?” Taeya asked mischievously. The others chuckled at Ramón’s crestfallen expression. “Come on, genius boy, we all know we’re not splitting up any of the couples.” Mina opened her mouth, but Taeya continued without seeing her. “So are you going to be a gentleman about it or do we need a duel?” Everyone laughed as Ramón and Hope eyed each other warily.

“Duel?” John asked.

“We take rock, paper, scissors very seriously as a group,” Mina offered. Eugene was proud of her for being so nonchalant and pleasant to John, but he also knew she didn’t like anyone to feel left out. “I say gender equality demands the duel.” And that she was strangely competitive.

Ramón and Hope grumbled but stood up from their seats and faced each other in the middle of the floor. They each held a hand aloft in a fist, their other hand palm-up in front of them. 

“Alright,” Jimmy said officiously. “You both know the rules. Best two out of three, no cheating and no peeking.”

“Peeking?” Eugene asked quietly. Mina just grinned at him. 

“Rock!” Jimmy called out. 

Hope and Ramón leaped into the air and spun, landing with their backs to each other. Hope made a fist and Ramón flattened his hand. 

“Paper!” 

They both jumped back around with their eyes closed, wobbling less than Eugene expected. They must do this often. Two of Hope’s fingers shot out of her fist. Mina cackled. 

“Scissors!” 

They both jumped and twisted again. Ramón’s hand clenched into a fist.

“Shoot!” 

They both stuck their hands behind them blindly. Hope presented paper and so did Ramón. 

“Nope!” Jimmy and Amber hollered together. 

Without turning around, both changed their hand shapes into fists. Everyone laughed, but at the last second, Hope stuck out two fingers. 

“And it’s Ramón!” Jimmy declared. Hope spun around and groaned good-naturedly. “Again.” 

Eugene watched as they did this ridiculous exercise two more times, Hope winning both of them. They were both panting by the end. Eugene had noticed each of them peeking throughout, but Hope had used this to her advantage, showing the same hand shape any time she was forward and a different one at the end. Ramón fell for it both times. Eugene shook his head in bewilderment as Ramón flopped on the couch in defeat.

“I’ve already claimed the room at the end of the hall anyway,” Hope said, nudging Ramón’s long leg with her foot until he dutifully retracted it to give her access to the cushion next to him. “The rest are fair game.” 

Mina watched Taeya and John head down the hall and immediately turned toward the stairs. Eugene snorted. She was a wise one. She stopped on the stairs and turned back to him. “Eugene? Sweetheart?” He startled at the word, though it seemed more foreign in her mouth than it did in his ears. “Are you coming?”


	5. 2.5 Big Fat Chicken

**November 16 - 7:08 PM**

**Hopeworld** : YOU’RE A BIG FAT CHICKEN

**SecretArgentMan** : 1. Yes, I am.   
**SecretArgentMan** : 2. I love you, too.   
**SecretArgentMan** : 3. Did you seen Mina’s face?

**Hopeworld** : I knowwwwwww. 

**SecretArgentMan** : I couldn’t add to the chaos right then. Sorry.

**HopeWorld** : No, I get it. I just. The loooooonger we wait, the woooooorse they’re going to take it.

**SecretArgentMan** : We’ll try again later tonight. Or tomorrow morning. We just need to let the drama die down a little.

**HopeWorld** : Before we stir it right back up again? 

**SecretArgentMan** : Do you have a better idea?

**HopeWorld** : We tell them in the middle of the chaos to split the focus   
**HopeWorld** : The Tae/John/Mina situation has nearly maxed out their capacity for shock. We should capitalize on that.

**SecretArgentMan** : This is what you’re like at work, isn’t it?

**HopeWorld** : Does it turn you on?

**SecretArgentMan** : Fear IS an aphrodisiac for some people... 

**HopeWorld** : We’ve tried that before, babe. You remember how that ended.

**SecretArgentMan** : Safewords keep everyone safe.   
**SecretArgentMan** : Why are you even texting me? Are you in the kitchen? Come talk to me like a normal person. I’m in the living room.

**HopeWorld** : I don’t want to be overheard. You want to avoid drama? This is how we do that.

**SecretArgentMan** : You make it sound like avoiding drama is a bad thing...

**HopeWorld** : Avoiding drama is what led to you sleeping on the couch.

**SecretArgentMan** : I am not sleeping on the couch. I still owe you Round 3.

**HopeWorld** : YEAH YOU DOOOOOOOO

**SecretArgentMan** : I plan to use every last skill the agency has taught me to sneak into your room undetected tonight.

**HopeWorld** : You’re an analyst. They’ve taught you to sit at a computer.

**SecretArgentMan** : I only tell you I’m an analyst so you won’t worry...

**HopeWorld** : You’re a nerd.   
**HopeWorld** : And a big fat chicken.   
**HopeWorld** : And I love you. 


	6. 3. Something Coupley

Mina tugged her recalcitrant suitcase behind her, the wheels catching on one of the many rugs covering the hardwood floors of the hallway. Her hand shook as she chose a door at random and shoved it open. There was a king-sized bed, covered in a fluffy duvet and about a million pillows. She blinked at it. She would be sharing that with Eugene. Eugene Min. The boy from the apartment down the block and the third row seat of Korean Sunday School. The man who her mother wished she’d marry, for reasons that were good on paper but had little to do with reality.

She looked around the room helplessly. The vacation was only hours old and it was already a total mess. All because of stupid JC. Or John now, apparently. He hadn’t gone by that name when she’d known him. It was unsettling. That was probably unfair, considering it was his name and he had a right to be called anything he wanted. But still, something about it felt like a lie. She just wasn’t sure which part.

“ _Sweetheart_?” Eugene hissed as he trudged into the room behind her. She shot him a warning look and shut the door firmly behind him. Then she rounded on him.

“Oh, would you prefer I call you honey or schnookums instead, _boyfriend_?” she hissed back. Eugene instantly put his hands up in surrender. 

“I’m sorry,” he said. And he looked it. He lifted his shoulders as he lowered his hands.

“Or would you prefer I call you _oppa_?” she simpered, her expression overly bright and eager but her tone dripping with sarcasm. She pouted in a childish way and cupped her hands under her chin. He cringed. “Or maybe _jagiya_? _Yeobo_?” She was hoping to make him uncomfortable with her use of Korean endearments, but she ended up kind of freaking herself out. Her father used both of those last two whenever he’d gotten himself into the doghouse with her mother and was trying to wheedle his way out again. She suppressed a shudder. 

“No, that’s really okay,” Eugene said with distaste, his own shudder getting the better of him. He sighed. “I really am sorry. I was trying to help, but that’s not--” He cut himself off, scowling. “Hang on. This isn’t all on me. You played along.” 

Mina opened her mouth to retort and found she had nothing of substance to say. She glared at him. JC showing up here -- _John_ showing up here -- had knocked her off balance and she couldn’t get her thoughts in order. _If we’ve both moved on, it’s a little better, right?_ kept echoing in her head, joined by flashes of his beautiful smile with his cute scrunchy nose. Directed at Taeya. Her best friend. Her very best friend, who had looked absolutely devastated. Mina had to keep them believing she’d moved on.

“Yeah, I did,” she said after an awkward pause. “I played along. And I think we have to keep it up, actually. We’re stuck here for tonight and it’s only going to make things more awkward if we tell them the truth.”

“So, what now? You want to play the happy couple for the rest of the week?” Eugene was oddly pale, which was saying something since his natural coloring was already practically pearlescent. He must have still been cold “Just, go downstairs and hold hands and make up some bullshit about how we fell in love?”

“I don’t know,” Mina said, throwing her hands in the air. “I’m completely winging this, okay? It’s not like I had a contingency plan for when my best friend started dating my ex. And believe me, if I’d known I’d need to prepare for something like this, I wouldn’t be faking a relationship with you.” 

Eugene frowned at her emphasis on the last word, but she knew it was true. He was the kind of person who lived his life pretty transparently -- he said what he thought and he didn’t play games. Never in a million years had she expected a lie like _I’m her boyfriend_ to come out his mouth. Plus, she’d never pegged him as someone who would be terribly demonstrative in his romantic relationships. She honestly wasn’t sure how they would pull this off. 

“You know, if you have any plans of your own to offer, I’m all ears,” she said petulantly. “Since this was kind of your idea in the first place.” 

“That’s not-- I don’t-- Shit.” Eugene groaned. “Okay, fine, this is all my fault and I have no answers.” He rubbed his forehead. “The only way I can think to fix it is to fake a family emergency that somehow involves both our mothers and hauling ass off this mountain, never to be heard from again.” Mina snorted.

“First of all, I’d really like to see these people again, given that we’ve been friends for a decade,” she started. He muttered something that sounded suspiciously like _not my friends_ , but she ignored him and continued, “And we’re not going anywhere in this snow. So we’re going to have to figure this out, at least for the night.”

“Are you thinking of leaving in the morning?” He sounded a little too hopeful. She sagged onto the bed with a frustrated sigh.

“I don’t know! We didn’t get together last year and I’ve really missed them. It’s been an awful year, for me and for many of them. I just-- I need them.” 

Mina was angry to realize she was almost crying. Her sinuses burned as she forced the tears back. The breakup had hit her hard, and she needed her support network (she was conveniently ignoring the fact that she’d been pretty successful at running away from all of them lately and that might be why she was so desperate). But how could she get support when her network had been infiltrated by the heartbreaker himself? 

She flopped backward on the bed, the lush duvet poofing around her momentarily as it deflated. And how was she supposed to share this bed with her childhood buddy and watch her best friend make gooey eyes at the only man Mina had ever loved? She didn’t want to leave, but she couldn’t imagine staying either.

“Shit,” she moaned, drawing out the word. 

“Wow.”

“What?” She didn’t have the energy to look up and confirm what she knew to be true -- that he thought she was a gigantic mess. 

“It’s been years since I heard you swear.”

“I swear!” she defended herself. She lifted her head lazily and dropped it back down onto the bed when he simply arched an eyebrow at her. She wondered idly why she felt the need to defend this particular habit, when she’d actually tried hard to drop it over the years. But right now, indignation was preferable to tears. “You’ve been gone for a long time. You don’t know.”

“Fair.” His affable tone took some of the wind out of her sails. He was always doing that, agreeing with her temper tantrums and cutting her off at the knees. She glared up at him. He looked back patiently. She sat up, flopping her arms uselessly at her side and making a grunty noise of protest against… the universe, she supposed. 

“So,” he said carefully. “What do you want to do?”

“What _can_ we do?” She stared at him desperately. Her expression felt a little unhinged even from the inside. “Unless you want to walk downstairs and tell them we lied and we’re not together? That I’m so ridiculously pathetic, I’m not over a relationship that ended eight and a half months ago and I had to make up an imaginary boyfriend to get through a four-minute interaction with my ex? Okay! Sure! Sounds like a plan!” She clapped her hands briskly and hopped off the bed, feinting toward the door. 

“You’re not pathetic,” he said softly. She looked back at him and he sighed. “I mean, the fact that you’re counting in half months isn’t the best sign… But it’s not pathetic to want to look better off when you run into an ex. It wasn’t your lie, anyway.” 

There was a slight edge to his voice on the words _better off_ that made Mina almost smile. Eugene pinched the bridge of his nose. The whole scenario seemed to be giving him a headache. She wished she’d left him at home in peace. But they had to get through it somehow. She steeled herself, shoving all of her messy emotions back down into the pit of her stomach where they belonged. She could do this. Or, well, she could make a joke of this, which was almost the same thing.

“Okay, then, lover boy,” she waggled her eyebrows, “you up for a little playacting, then?” He looked pained again. She dropped the act. “I’m sorry you’re caught up in my mess, Eugene. We’ll see if the roads are cleared first thing in the morning and then we’ll make our great escape. I promise, you won’t have to pretend for more than three or four hours tonight and then we’re out of here at first light.”

“You promised me I would get to sleep in.” He faked a pout. “First the car ride, now this. So many broken promises, Park.” She couldn’t help the small smile that crossed her lips at his bantery tone. “Yeah, okay, let’s do this.” He straightened his shoulders and turned toward the door, ready for battle.

“Wait!” Mina snagged the sleeve of his thermal shirt to stop him. “What’s… what’s our story?”

“Our story?” He frowned. “What story?”

“How did we get together? How long have we been together?” She ticked things off her fingers. “Whose place do we stay at most often? Which side of the bed do you sleep on? How many--”

“Christ, Mina, we’re not faking a marriage to get a green card.” He squinted at her as if she were as deranged as she’d felt earlier. “Are your friends really going to grill you like that?” His tone implied that her answer might require her to get new friends.

“I don’t know! I’ve never fake-dated anyone before!”

“Well, clearly you’ve _dated_ before or we wouldn’t be in this mess. What did they ask you when you told them about Fabio down there?”

“...Fabio?”

“The walking shampoo commercial with the muscles and the long hair?”

“It’s not that long,” she defended, not knowing quite why.

“It’s longer than I ever expected you to be into. You’re a mysterious woman with mysterious tastes, Mina Park. I’m learning so much.”

“He… He kept it short when we dated,” she offered, strangely unsure if she should be sharing this with him. She cleared her throat. “But then again, I kept mine long when we were together, so things change, I guess.”

“I like yours better than his,” he muttered. Mina peered at him, sure she misheard, but he continued. “So, what did they ask you about him?” 

“They...mostly just wanted to know if he made me happy.” She swallowed hard, reminding herself she’d shoved her feelings down and they would stay there, so help her. Eugene opened his mouth, then snapped it shut on whatever question he’d been about to ask.

“Let’s just keep this simple.” He scratched the back of his neck. Mina wondered if he was nervous. She knew she was. “We’ve been friends for most of our lives, you asked me out, we’ve been together a few months.”

“I asked _you_ out?” she asked. He’d said it so definitively, but now he wouldn’t meet her eye. He seemed very interested in the abstract painting on the wall above their bed. _Their_ bed... Any other time, she might push for _why_ , but she was nearly certain he was blushing and didn’t really know what to do with that. “Okay, I asked you out. The rest is history. Fine. It’s only a few hours anyway. We’ll probably spend most of it catching up on their lives anyway. Just don’t… don’t mention that we’re leaving in the morning.” 

“I hadn’t planned on it, but why not?” He tilted his head curiously. 

“They’ll try to talk me out of it and probably guilt me.” Mina shuddered. “Amber and Hope are a force to be reckoned with when they want to get their way. And Tae will feel like it’s her fault.”

“Well, I mean--” he began. She glared at him swiftly and he cut himself off. “Okay, but how did she not know he was your boyfriend? Don’t you guys video chat all the time?”

“She was in Columbia almost the whole time we were dating -- I told you she was with Doctors Without Borders, right? Anyway, she kind of quit the internet,” she continued when Eugene simply waited quietly. “She jumped straight into her residency when she got back to Philly. We always meant for him to meet the others eventually, but he traveled a lot and… I don’t know. We never got around to it?” 

When Eugene stayed silent with an inscrutable look on his face, she felt the need to keep going. 

“He met my family and my friends in the city. I wasn’t hiding him… He just prefers taking pictures to being in them, so I never really put our relationship online. Tae refused to get back on social media, so neither did she. Plus, he apparently goes by a different name now?”

“Yeah, I don’t trust that guy…” he growled. She opened her mouth to enumerate all the wonderful qualities of John Cooke, up-and-coming photographer and jack-of-all-art-trades, but there was a knock on the door. 

“Should we do something?” she hissed quickly. Her eyes darted from the door to him and back again.

“Like what?” he whispered back, bewildered. 

“I dunno. Something… coupley?” 

“Come in!” he called, rolling his eyes at her and turning toward the slowly opening door.

“Everybody decent?” Hope asked. The door swung open the rest of the way. “Oh good, you’re not making out. That would have been super awkward.”

“Yes. Of course. _That_ would be the most awkward part of the evening.” Mina shook her head at her friend. Hope flung an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her hard. To Eugene, it probably just seemed friendly or maybe even overly tactile. But to Mina, it was communication. Hope was worried about her. About Taeya, probably, too. About the dynamic of the whole group. “So. What’s for dinner? We’re starving!” 

“Gin’s got some kind of stir-fry thing going, I think,” Hope said, letting go of Mina and flouncing toward the door. “Smells delicious, whatever it is. Now stop making out and get your butts downstairs before we eat it all.” Hope sailed out the door, giggling louder than was warranted for such a feeble barb. Guilt slid deeper into Mina’s gut, remembering the plan to both lie to and abandon her friends. 

Eugene surprised her by slipping his hand into hers and leading her toward the door. She hesitated, letting her arm extend in front of her instead of following. He looked back over his shoulder. 

“Come on, Park,” he said. He tugged on her hand lightly and she let herself be pulled onto her tiptoes before stumbling into his momentum. “It’s just stir fry and some hand-holding. What’s the worst that could happen?” 

Eugene should know her brain better than to supply it with such a question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget the half chapter! Click next!


	7. 3.5 John Legend??!!!

**November 16 - 7:37 PM**

**Amberloohoo** : OMG   
**Amberloohoo** : You guyyyyyys   
**Amberloohoo** : 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨   
**Amberloohoo** : You have to get here. Right. Now.

**Mr.King** : Didn’t R tell you? We’re stuck... Highways are closed.

**JackAttack** : And my husband is apparently planning to get us murdered.

**Mr.King** : We are not going to be murdered.

**JackAttack** : We are in a seedy motel on the side of a nothing highway in the middle of nowhere at the height of Snowpocalypse. If we do not get murdered, we will probably be eaten in our sleep by bedbugs.

**Mr.King** : We’re in the same room.... You don’t need to air these grievances in a chat group. I’m right here.   
**Mr.King** : Also. The place is outdated, but it’s actually really clean... I love you, but chill. Please.

**JackAttack** : I’m just saying, if we die here and orphan our daughter two months after her adoption is finally final, I will haunt you.

**Mr.King** : If I die with you, I’d be a ghost, too... You can’t haunt a ghost. That’s not how it works...

**Amberloohoo** : Well someone here might die before the night is over, so you’ll have company.

**Mr.King** : WTF? What is happening? Is everyone okay?

**JackAttack** : Someone is dying? And you’re letting me ramble on like a Drama Queen???

**Amberloohoo** : No one is currently dying. Sorry. My hyperbole is out of control   
**Amberloohoo** : But yours would be too if you were here.

**Mr.King** : Amber. What. Is. Happening?

**Amberloohoo** : You’ll never guess who Tae brought with her.

**JackAttack** : I’m assuming it’s not her boyfriend?

**Amberloohoo** : Well, I should say, you’ll never guess who her new boyfriend IS.

**JackAttack** : John? Is he famous?

**Mr.King** : Is he really super weird? Like her ex…? What was his name? 

**JackAttack** : Is it John Legend??!!!   
**JackAttack** : Chrissy’s twitter is about to get really interesting.

**Amberloohoo** : He’s not famous. Or John Legend.   
**Amberloohoo** : And he’s nothing like her ex.   
**Amberloohoo** : But he’s exactly like Mina’s ex.

**Mr.King** : JC? How’s he like JC?

**JackAttack** : I thought we liked JC. I mean, except for the moving away and breaking up with Mina part, he was generally cool, right?

**Amberloohoo** : No.   
**Amberloohoo** : Like.    
**Amberloohoo** : Literally like her ex.   
**Amberloohoo** : John = JC 

**JackAttack** : Wut?

**Mr.King** : I don’t understand…

**Amberloohoo** : Taeya Vaughn. Is dating. John Cooke. Who used to go by JC. When he dated Mina Park.   
**Amberloohoo** : IT’S THE SAME GUY 

**Mr.King** : But…

**JackAttack** : Oh. My. God.

**Mr.King** : How…

**JackAttack** : More importantly, how is Mina? She must be spinning.

**Amberloohoo** : More like spiraling, I think. I can’t imagine. 😱😱😱 You know how she is. She’s playing it off like she’s fine, but Eugene is upstairs with her right now. I hope he can talk her down.

**JackAttack** : I can’t keep up. Who the hell is Eugene?

**Mr.King** : Eugene? Wait… The guy her mom wants her to marry?

**Amberloohoo** : Yes! That’s him. I thought she was just bringing him as a friend, but he introduced himself to John and Taeya as her boyfriend. 

**Mr.King** : Whoa… That’s… big. I hate that we’re not there.

**JackAttack** : Is this blizzard just another plot to exclude me?

**Amberloohoo** : JACKIE. I SAID I WAS SORRY.   
**Amberloohoo** : We had no idea you thought that. I swear. It was a total miscommunication.

**JackAttack** : For six years?    
**JackAttack** : I was starting to think you were all just homolknbv sdwrt

**Mr.King** : Pardon us, but I’ve stolen J’s phone and I’m enforcing an early bedtime due to crankiness and almost texting things we will all regret later.    
**Mr.King** : Please give M a very subtle hug from us. I hate that she’s going through this.

**Amberloohoo** : I’m on it! Have ***funnnnn*** tonight. 🍆🍑👌🏼❤️🧡💛💚💙💜👌🏼

**Mr.King** : Ah. Right. I’ve asked the wrong friend for subtlety. 

**Amberloohoo** : Love you, too, Marky. 😁

**JackAttack** : Who did Hope bring? Ramón?

**Amberloohoo** : I see you’ve gotten your phone back. I know how strict Mark can be, so I don’t want to know the dirty things you just promised him to get it back.

**JackAttack** : An.swer.the.quest.ion.

**Mr.King** : J’s very invested in who those two are dating, as you can see.

**Amberloohoo** : Well, you’ll have to wait to find out like the rest of us, because they both came alone.

**JackAttack** : Oh? Iiiiiinteresting.

**Amberloohoo** : Do you know something? 

**Mr.King** : I haven’t been able to get that question answered to my satisfaction either…

**JackAttack** : Be nice, or satisfaction will elude you in a lot of ways tonight.

**Amberloohoo** : Do.you.know.some.thing?

**JackAttack** : I *know* nothing. I have suspicions. And they will remain suspicions in the absence of evidence. And that’s all I’m saying. 

**Amberloohoo** : You’re the worst. 🙅🏼‍♀️   
**Amberloohoo** : Now go keep your filthy promises to your husband. 🔞I have to go help mine make dinner for these hooligans. 

**Mr.King** : Have fun without us! I plan to have fun without you... 😉


	8. 4. The Rodin Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote a new chapter this weekend! Which is good, because I was starting to feel like I was catching up with myself. Thanks to everyone who has been reading and commenting -- you're totally helping me get my groove back!

Perched on a barstool at the giant granite countertop, Eugene watched Jimmy work, impressed by his skills with both knife and spatula. Amber attempted to help, but her car sickness had not yet worn off, apparently, because she kept making faces at the smells and sights of the kitchen. 

Mina hovered nearby. She didn’t seem to want to be more than three feet from him, but she also clearly wanted to help. He knew she enjoyed cooking. He wondered if she realized how awkward and obvious she was making things. Jimmy kept watching them out of the corner of his eye when he stirred the wok on the gas range, when he thought Eugene couldn’t see him. Mina shifted aimlessly and Eugene caught the hem of her sweater. Her head jerked up, her eyes quizzical. He sighed very, very quietly. 

Slowly, he spun on the barstool -- it was the fancy kind with the wrought iron back and the swivel under the plush leather seat -- and tugged her toward him. Her eyes continued to look quizzical, now with a side of panic, but he simply kept drawing her in. She could escape easily if he was crossing a line, but he was pretty sure she was more unsure than uncomfortable. Finally, he let go of her clothing when her waist was nestled part way between his knees, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

“Hey,” he whispered into her hair. He hoped the hug was enough cover for his reminder. “You’re thinking too loudly. Relax.” Her stiff shoulders sagged a little bit. He counted it as a victory. 

Moving slowly again, he spun her between his knees so that her back was against his chest and he was half hugging her from behind. He tucked his chin over her shoulder and murmured, “There you go. Just… lean back and talk to your friends. Forget I’m here.” Her inaudible sigh seemed to come from the tips of her toes, releasing her muscles as it made its way up.

“So, Jimmy, what’s new in Boston?” Her voice sounded a little strained, a little too hearty, but Eugene appreciated the effort. He let one arm fall from her shoulders to rest across her stomach and hips. She tensed again for a second. He could practically feel her force herself to unclench. He tried hard to think of her body clinically, evaluating it for stress and poor acting. Because otherwise he might get lost in the feel of her between his legs and… Nope. Definitely sticking to clinical. “Are you guys still in renovation hell?” 

“No, we’ve finally got things the way we want them, I think,” Jimmy answered. He surreptitiously studied their pose. 

“Says you,” Amber retorted from across the counter, chopping carrots. “I still kind of hate the laundry room.”

Eugene heard a peal of laughter from the living room behind them, unmistakably Hope’s. He couldn’t make out words, but the conversation sounded lively, Taeya’s laughter following almost as loudly. He appreciated the natural separation between Mina and John, at least until she got her bearings. 

“That’s because you’re genetically predisposed to hate pretty things,” Jimmy said without heat. Mina chuckled and Eugene found himself liking the way the movement felt against his hands and chest. 

“Is it pink?” Mina asked Amber.

“No!” Jimmy answered just as Amber cried, “Yes!” Mina laughed again. Even Eugene had to smile at the long-suffering looks both spouses shot toward her, as if trying to recruit her to each of their sides.

“And floral!” Amber continued. “Floral pink wallpaper all over the dang thing. And it’s only large enough for a stacked set of machines and a tiny shelf. I don’t know what the previous owners were thinking. It’s overwhelming.” She let out a noise of distaste. Jimmy pouted.

“It’s mauve and I think it’s pretty and, since I do the majority of the laundry, I’d kindly ask you to _step off_.” Jimmy swept the cutting board of carrot circles away from her in a smooth movement but not before dropping a kiss on the top of her head. “How’s New York, Mina? I feel like we haven’t talked in ages.” Hope wandered in at that moment with two empty glasses and arched her eyebrow pointedly at Mina, clearly agreeing with Jimmy’s assessment.

“Well, obviously, we haven’t,” Amber broke in, gesturing toward the two of them. “What’s all this? When did it happen? Where did it happen? How many times has it happened?” She smirked lasciviously. Hope cackled with delight and dropped into the seat nearest Amber. Eugene felt Mina start to pull away, hopefully on impulse, so he nuzzled into her neck with a chuckle. 

“You want to tell the story or should I?” he asked, his voice light and almost teasing. He honestly wasn’t sure how he was pulling this off when his very first instinct was to head back down the mountain, walking if he had to. But as she squirmed away from him with a moderately fake chuckle, he found he’d much rather be right here than nearly anywhere else. 

“Oh, you tell it better than I do.” She twisted enough to look at him with a smile underpinned with challenge. 

“Are you sure? I mean, I was basically an innocent bystander and you just… pounced.” Eugene grinned unrepentantly at her bemused face and turned toward the others. He was actually frantically trying to come up with a plausible lie and stalling badly. “We’ve known each other most of our lives, did you know that? Our mothers have been close since before they were married to our dads.”

“Oh!” Jimmy raised his spatula like a conductor’s baton and pointed it at Eugene. “You’re the church friend.”

“You’re the…” Amber searched for a word. “The pseudo-arranged marriage guy?”

“The one Mina’s basically betrothed to even though neither of you like each other?” Hope supplied helpfully.

“Ah, so you’ve heard of me,” Eugene said faintly. He tilted his head toward Mina in question. 

She looked oddly guilty. He wasn’t wild about the picture she’d been painting for her friends about him all these years -- a burdensome suitor, a restriction on her freedom. Actually, he was fairly surprised she talked about him at all. He’d always kind of gotten the impression that he stopped existing to her once he was out of her sight. She ducked her head and nudged him with her shoulder.

“I never meant it like that,” Mina mumbled in explanation. “I was complaining about my mom, not you.”

“Wait… That means you’re also the music producer guy!” Amber’s eyes widened as information filtered through her brain. “Mina says you play like six instruments. And you work with some of the biggest names in the industry. That’s really cool!” 

“Oh right!” Hope bounced in her seat eagerly. Her eyes flicked between the two of them, and the lack of space between the two of them. She gave Mina a pointed look, then focused on Eugene. “You know, I told her a few times she should give you a chance. Sounds like her mom wasn’t wrong…”

Eugene tried hard not to think of how Mina had resisted their encouragement to _give him a chance_. Her hands came up to rest on the arm around her waist, giving him a subtle squeeze. He was sure she meant to be reassuring, but it also served the secondary purpose of reminding him that he was in the middle of a play and needed to remember his lines.

“Well, that’s what kept us apart for so long,” Eugene found himself saying. “There was a lot of pressure from our families and we just… We both wanted to live our own lives, you know? But Mina is… well, she’s _Mina_.” He looked at them a little helplessly, knowing he was revealing too much and hoping Mina only heard it as pretend. Hope nodded encouragingly.

“She is definitely _Mina_ ,” she said, matching his slightly awed and overwhelmed inflection. It sounded so much more hopeless in her voice. He cringed internally. “She doesn’t usually believe us when we say that, though.” Mina stuck out her tongue at Hope, who returned the gesture with a challenging head wiggle, her voluminous red curls bouncing around her shoulders. “So how’d it happen?” 

“After I came back from LA, we kept bumping into each other and I just kind of… fell for her.” He shrugged and tried to stem the tide of the blush he felt creeping up his face. “But she was busy, doing her own thing, and I didn’t think I’d have a shot with her.” He cleared his throat, which suddenly felt too tight. 

“What he didn’t know,” Mina continued for him, seeming to sense his floundering, “was that I’d liked him on and off for years. But every time I thought about doing something about it, our mothers would start a new campaign to shove us together and… I guess I just rebelled?” She let out a tinkling laugh. This one sounded genuine to Eugene’s ears. He reminded himself that this was the only genuine part of the moment. Her posture changed a little, clearly getting into the story. “But this summer, the timing finally aligned… Our conversations got more flirty and I was pretty sure he felt the same as I did. And… well, I wouldn’t say I pounced…” 

She nudged him with her elbow so subtly he knew the others couldn’t see it, just a slight increase in pressure on the side of his arm. 

“You totally pounced,” he said dutifully. On impulse, he squeezed her a little tighter on the last word, his fingers prodding her ribs gently. She giggled, just as he’d hoped she would.

“Yeah, okay…” She smiled sheepishly at her friends. 

He noted idly that they were terribly good at this. He knew his motivation, but it begged the question, how was _she_ so good at this? He’d only ever known her to be an awful actress -- they’d been in many church plays and skits together before the director finally begged her to stop auditioning. 

“I just… I couldn’t take the push and pull of it any more and asked him out,” Mina finished. She twisted to look at him with a loving expression and he gave her a squeeze, trying not to show how breathless that look made him. From the outside, they looked like a perfect couple. She turned back to her friends. “It’s only been a few months and we’re taking it kind of slow. We haven’t told our families yet, for obvious reasons. We’re just… seeing where it takes us.” 

Eugene nodded along dumbly. That would be exactly how he’d want them to date. She was too good at this.

“So how about you two?” He desperately needed the focus off of them for a few minutes or he might burst into flames. “Mina’s told me a little bit about each of you, but it’s hard to keep it all straight. You’re married?”

“That’s us!” Jimmy said. He gripped the handle of the wok and began expertly tossing the contents of the pan, not a noodle or vegetable escaping. “The Kings are married, too, but only for the last few years. Amber and I met in college and got married the fall after we graduated.”

“And even though we met in college, this little group was already firmly established, so I’ve always been an outsider.” Amber’s long-suffering tone barely hid her teasing. “They’re very strict about who qualifies as an original member and who doesn’t.” Eugene sagged a little at how easily the conversation moved on from him and Mina.

“Everybody was roommates?” Eugene asked, his memory bringing nebulous details to the surface from when Mina had begged him to come with on this ill-fated trip and even further back to their sporadic contact through college. He counted in his head. “Wait, that doesn’t work. Three girls and three guys?”

“Well, there used to be four of each.” Mina wrinkled her nose. “But Chad and Kristi wrecked everything.” Hope shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “Kristi was Hope’s roommate, Chad was Jimmy’s. Then it was me and Tae in 1195 and Ramón in with Mark in 1194. We had the whole end of our floor in the Rodin College House to ourselves.”

“And then Chad had to go and be an ass,” Jimmy cut in. Everyone sighed deeply, as if on cue. Hope grimaced. “We’d made it into the second semester of sophomore year with no in-group shenanigans. Then Chad and Kristi started dating. And then Chad and Rita. And then Chad and Zoe. Which might have been fine if there hadn’t still been a Chad and Kristi.” Jimmy grunted and began opening cupboards.

“The breakup broke up the band?” Eugene asked knowingly. Mina nodded sadly. 

Hope leapt to her feet and grabbed plates from the nearest cupboard, shooing Jimmy back to his place by the range. She began setting them along the bar rather than take them to the adjoining dining room. Eugene was glad for that -- he wasn’t all that interested in a formal sit-down dinner with John and Taeya and Mina. 

“Kristi was devastated,” Hope offered softly. 

“Yeah, well, she got her revenge…” Jimmy said darkly. He turned the heat down on the wok. “Our room smelled like rotten fish for the rest of the school year.” He shuddered and so did Amber. Actually, Amber turned a little green. “Oh, sorry, dear.” Jimmy patted her shoulder consolingly, looking mildly shamefaced. He noticed the others’ attention and quickly said, “She still doesn’t feel well from the drive and she hates seafood.” 

“Anyway, the breakup was really nasty,” Mina said. “Kristi had every right to be pissed at him, but she got really vindictive. Demanded we all take her side, which we did, naturally. But Jimmy had to keep living with him until the end of the year and she… she called that a betrayal. It was probably the worst for Hope.” 

Hope startled and looked up from digging through a silverware drawer. “Sorry, I wasn’t listening, what about me?” She looked oddly guilty. “What did I do?”

“You got stuck in the middle with Kristi,” Jimmy said. “She ended up spending more nights in Tae and Mina’s room. Or even crashing with Mark and Ramón. It was a dark time for the Rodin Six.”

“Oh my god, you did not just call us the Rodin Six. We’re not the Justice League,” Taeya groaned as she walked into the room carrying two more glasses. “Hobi, were you or were you not going to bring me a drink?”

“Oh, oops!” Hope flashed a fake apologetic smile at Taeya and received a chuckle in return. “Dinner’s almost ready, so why don’t you go gather the boys.” Taeya sniffed her way eagerly toward the stove, ignoring Hope’s directions as simply as Hope had forgotten her beverage.

"Anyway, after Chad and Kristi left the group, the rest of us all vowed _no more couples_ ," Mina told Eugene as Jimmy swatted Taeya away from his cooking with his spatula. Hope fumbled a handful of silverware, which clattered on the stone of the counter, startling Jimmy. He stepped away from the stove to retrieve a stray fork from the floor. 

"Until this weekend, that is!" Taeya reached two fingers into the frying pan while Jimmy was distracted and pulled out a sliver of carrot, blowing on it frantically. She tossed it in her mouth, pursing her lips to keep blowing around it. “Hot hot hot!” Jimmy tossed the dirty fork in the sink while rolling his eyes at her. She grinned unrepentantly. “Mmmm, Gin’s at it again.”

“Jin?” Eugene asked Mina in an undertone as he watched Taeya’s continued antics and Jimmy’s reproachful sighs. “Is my hearing going or is everyone using a N instead of an M in his name?” 

Taeya looked up at his words with a grin. He didn’t miss the way she took in their pose with approval. 

“That’s because we all call him Gin.” Taeya sauntered around the counter towards them. Eugene got the impression all her attention was on Jimmy behind her, even though she wasn’t looking at him at all. “Like the alcohol.”

Jimmy groaned and both Taeya and Hope laughed at his misery. Even Amber giggled along. Mina only chuckled lightly. Taeya pressed her lips together and seemed to decide something. 

“But that’s a story for another time, Yoooo-geeen,” Taeya said, drawing out the syllables of his name in a tone somewhere between teasing and accusation. “Right this second, I’m going to have to steal my bestie. Toodles!” And with that, she snatched Mina’s hand and tugged her away from him. He was so startled, he let go on instinct. Mina threw him a look of fearful betrayal as she was dragged from the room. 

“So, Eugene,” Hope said. She leaned across the counter as Mina disappeared down the hall. “What’s the real story here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget about Chapter 4.5!


	9. 4.5 Past Lives

**July 14 - 11:37 AM**

**TaeTaeV** : Meeps.   
**TaeTaeV** : Meeeeeeeeeeps.   
**TaeTaeV** : MINA   
**TaeTaeV** : Mina Jihyo Park

**MiniMina** : god what? it’s been twelve seconds since your first message

**TaeTaeV** : It’s been twelve MINUTES and you know I’m not patient so why are you IGNORING MEEEEE?

**MiniMina** : i’m not ignoring you. you’re just needy

**TaeTaeV** : I AM needy. You are correct. It’s maybe because my bestie keeps bailing on our phone calls and answering my texts days late……..

**MiniMina** : i have not!

**TaeTaeV** : Friend I love you and I swear I didn’t message you just now to call you out but yeah you kind of have been

**MiniMina** : i know i’ve been busy lately, but it hasn’t been that bad

**TaeTaeV:** I’ve been back in the country for almost a month and we’ve had one phone call that was five minutes long **  
** **TaeTaeV** : Scroll up through the last few weeks and see how much we have been talking :( It’ll be easy because there’s been very little activity <///3

**MiniMina** : whoa    
**MiniMina** : i’m sorry. i didn’t realize    
**MiniMina** : that’s not fair to you

**TaeTaeV** : Thank you for saying that.   
**TaeTaeV** : But I really honestly didn’t come in here to friendshame you. I came to bring tidings of great joy, for all the nations!

**MiniMina** : it’s july and you are NOT an angel

**TaeTaeV** : I HAVE A BOYFRIEND

**MiniMina** : hey! that’s great! tell me allllll about him

**TaeTaeV** : He’s amazing! He’s an artist and he’s smart and he’s got all these muscles and WAIT FOR IT he’s shyyyyyyy

**MiniMina** : what? how? how did you even get together?

**TaeTaeV** : Because I’m CHARMING and beautiful and he was powerless to my conversational wizardry.

**MiniMina** : as are we all

**TaeTaeV** : It’s only been a few weeks but I’m falling HARD, Meeps. He’s just… He’s really good to me and we laugh so much and he indulges my ridiculous sense of adventure but he’s also chill about my on-call hours and you know how rare that is   
**TaeTaeV** : And the way he looks at me? God. I just. I’m smitten.

**MiniMina** : i’m really happy for you! that sounds lovely!   
**MiniMina** : how’d you meet him?

**TaeTaeV** : I stole his sandwich!

**MiniMina** : sounds about right

**TaeTaeV** : I can’t wait for you to meet him. It’s weird, but he makes me think of you a lot. It’s not that you’re alike necessarily but there’s something kindred about your souls or whatever. Maybe you knew each other in another life?

**MiniMina** : i’m going to breeze right by the fact that you think of me while you’re making out with the man you love and ask (again) (for the millionth time) how a woman of science like you can believe in reincarnation

**TaeTaeV** : First of all, not love. Not yet. Don’t jinx it. I’m smitten only. I’m in deep smit. :D   
**TaeTaeV** : Secondly I definitely do NOT think of you when we’re making out. He’s got this very distracting thing he does with his tongue. Anyway, science doesn’t know everything and also demands we keep an open mind.   
**TaeTaeV** : I can’t explain it but you’ll understand when you meet him -- I bet you feel like you have a history with him within the first five minutes.


	10. 5. Are You Happy?

“Tae, let go...” Mina protested weakly. Taeya continued pulling her down the dark, wood paneled hallway. Mina didn’t put up much resistance. She was dreading the coming confrontation, but she had never been able to do much more than get swept up in Taeya’s momentum when she was like this. Plus, she really didn’t want to be at odds with her best friend. 

Taeya pushed open the door at the end of the hall and motioned her inside. It was her subtle way of asking permission, after bodily hauling her away from the kitchen. Mina sighed and walked past her into the room, and Taeya shut the door behind them. Mina glimpsed rumpled bed covers and a wet towel hanging on the footboard of the oak four-poster bed before she turned to face Taeya. 

“So.” Taeya shifted uncomfortably, all her confidence and bluster lost to the quiet of the thick carpet and the heavy furniture. 

“So,” Mina replied. 

“JC.” Taeya rocked from the balls of her feet to her heels and back again.

“John...”

“Yeah.” Taeya sank onto the bed. 

“Yeah.” Mina chewed her lip, then joined her, tucking her legs under her to face her friend. 

“I didn’t know, I swear.” The words seemed to burst from Taeya, like she’d been physically restraining them for the last hour and had lost the fight. “I’m really sorry! I had no idea or I never would have--”

“It’s… It’s okay.” Mina wasn’t sure what she was saying. Was it okay? Would it ever be okay? How could it be okay? But Taeya truly hadn’t known, and Mina didn’t have any right to JC anymore. “I… I don’t know what to say, you know?” She looked at her best friend imploringly. “I’m not mad, I promise. It’s just. It’s a lot to take in at once.”

“I know.” Taeya grimaced. “I’ll do anything to make this up to you. I’ll… I dunno. I’ll leave first thing in the morning. I’ll never talk about him again to you. If it’s really too hard for you, I’ll… I’ll break up wi--”

“You don’t mean that,” Mina said sharply. Taeya ducked her head.

“No, I really don’t.” She groaned and kicked her dangling feet in a short fit of frustration. “But I hate that this is hurting you.” She looked like she might apologize again, but Mina held up her hand.

“Are you happy?” Mina asked, praying she could handle the answer. Taeya’s face lit up involuntarily, then fell into conflicted pain. Mina gave her a small smile. “I want you to be happy, you know? Always.”

“I am,” Taeya said softly. “I’m really, really happy. And I’m really, really sorry that it’s at your expense.”

“What? No!” Mina waved her hand hastily. “Never apologize for your happiness. It’s not at my expense. Whether you date him or not, he and I will continue to be broken up.” The phrase hurt both less and more than she expected. “We’re not together for a lot of reasons, ones that still make sense even if he was single.” Also a strange mix of pain and relief. “I… I want him to be happy, too.” She shrugged and willed herself not to cry. If she cried, Taeya would only feel worse.

“He is. We… We are.” Taeya scuffed the toe of her socked foot against the carpet. “Are you? With Eugene?”

“Oh.” Mina paused. She was supposed to be acting right now. Her brain scrambled for a plausible lie. Other than short-term, gift-related secrets, she’d never lied to Taeya before. 

“Does he make you happy?” Taeya pressed, almost as if she thought Mina hadn’t understood the question. 

“Yes, he does.” Mina realized it was true. Maybe she didn’t have to lie that much. “He’s a good guy and I’m very grateful to have him in my life.” 

“That’s wonderful,” Taeya responded softly. She reached forward to squeeze Mina’s arm. “That’s what I’ve wanted for you for a long time. Since--” She caught herself, her mouth forming into an almost comical O before snapping shut. 

“It’s been a hard year for a lot of us,” Mina hedged. “Eugene’s been there for me.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were seeing anyone,” Taeya accused. She was clearly desperate to change the subject. But so was Mina, so she allowed it. 

“It all happened really fast. One minute, we were friends and then next he was calling himself my boyfriend.” It took all her willpower not to laugh at the pin-point accuracy of that statement. So far, she’d managed not to lie outright and she’d like to keep it that way. “Besides, you’re one to talk… I always said your love of nicknames would be the end of us.” Taeya let out a soft laugh.

“I never thought it could lead to this!” she defended. “And to be fair, the biggest nickname confusion came from him, not me. I had no idea he went by JC before.” 

“I never thought he liked being called John,” Mina said with a shrug. She didn’t want to dwell on him any longer than she had to. “But I’m amazed he didn’t ask you about  _ Meeps _ . Who just… buys that as a friend’s name?”

“People don’t tend to question my smaller eccentricities.” Taeya paused at this, clearly contemplating why that might be. Mina snorted and she came back to the moment. 

“You know, this would all be solved if you got back on social media,” Mina griped. Taeya had pulled down all her profiles when she left with Doctors Without Borders, trying to simplify her life and be more present on her journey or something else uncharacteristically mature. And somehow, the habit had actually stuck. “You used to post every single meal and a selfie every other hour. I would have definitely seen his face and avoided this whole awkward reunion.”

“Would you really not have come?” Taeya looked worried. Mina silently begged her not to ask if she was thinking of leaving. She really didn’t want to lie to her, but she wasn’t going to invite the arguments to stay, either. “If you knew I was seeing him, would you really have avoided me?”

“No. Yes. I don’t know.” Mina sighed and grabbed Taeya’s hand. “It would have been nice to have some time to get used to the idea, away from watching eyes and, you know, not trapped in a cabin together. I might not have brought Eugene...” Mina was incredibly grateful for Eugene’s presence tonight, pretending and all, but she would never have subjected him to this had she known.

“Trapped in a cabin with your ex and your new boyfriend,” Taeya said slowly, a new level of realization dawning on her. “Whoa. That might be even more awkward than me being his new girlfriend.” Mina decided to let her believe that. “Is he jealous?”

“Eugene, jealous?” Mina scoffed, forgetting for half a second that he was supposed to be in love with her and that jealousy was within the range of expected reactions. She swallowed. “I mean, he hasn’t said anything? He’s not really like that. He’s been more worried about how I’m handling it.” There. All true things. 

“I’m glad he’s got his priorities right. I have to say, though… I’m surprised you’re dating a Korean guy…” Taeya said meaningfully. “Especially the one your mom wants you to date.”

“And I’m surprised you’re dating a white guy,” Mina said, blinking innocently. “Especially the one I used to date.” For a second, the words hung like an accusation in the air, until Taeya burst into laughter. 

“That’s a valid commentary,” she said. “But seriously. You said  _ never ever ever not one Korean nope never _ , if I recall correctly. And you’re usually pretty stubborn about stuff like that. ”

“I believe the statement was about Asian men in general and I may be stubborn, but I’m woman enough to admit when I’m wrong,” Mina said tartly. “I’m changing my views on that.” And she found she was still telling the truth. “Eugene is… He makes sure I take care of myself and he distracts me when my brain won’t shut up and we laugh a lot together.”

“He’s a good guy.” Taeya squeezed her hand. “You know… I always thought you had a little thing for him.” Her tone turned knowing and nosy too quickly for Mina’s liking. “All these years, you were so annoyed that your moms kept pushing you together, but I always wondered if you secretly liked him and just didn’t want your mom to be right.” 

Mina opened her mouth to deny it on instinct and remembered the story she’d told in the kitchen. The story that matched Taeya’s assumptions and was a little more truth than she’d meant to share with anyone, let alone in front of Eugene. Hopefully, he’d chalk it up to “acting” and forget about it. 

“I mean, I’d kind of always kept him as a  _ what if _ in the back of my head.” Mina frowned. “Not like a backup plan. Not like that at all. More like… A too-good-to-be-true fantasy, you know? Out of reach but really nice to think about sometimes.”

“And then you got your dream come true.” Taeya smiled wanly. Mina’s chest pinched a little at that thought. 

“Yeah, I’m just living the dream,” Mina responded, rolling her eyes. “More like a nightmare.” She made a silly face to soften the words, but Taeya still squeezed her hand just a little harder. 

“We’re okay? You and me?” she asked, dipping down to decrease their height difference and search Mina’s face. “I… won’t break up with him, but I--”

“Don’t even joke about it,” Mina said. She nudged Taeya’s shin with her toe. “If you guys break up someday, I don’t want to be anything close to the reason.” She looked up and met Taeya’s eyes. “Yeah, we’re okay. We’re both happy. What more could I want?”

“Yes!” Taeya’s posture changed as she accepted Mina’s answer. She grinned and wiggled a little, back to her impish self. “We’re both with our dream guys and happy and thriving. I couldn’t ask for more! Well, except maybe some of Jimmy’s stir-fry. Wanna go get some dinner?”

“You go ahead,” Mina gave her one last squeeze and let go. Taeya peered at her in concern. “I just need a minute. You know us introverts and uncomfortable social situations…” She made a wry face and waved Taeya on without her. Taeya frowned at her but left anyway, with one last look over her shoulder. 

Mina stood to close the door softly and walked over to the armchair facing the broad bay window. She sank into the seat, stared out into the blank, black night, and began to cry. 


	11. 5.5 Obfuscation and Deflection

**August 28 - 9:44 AM**

**Hopeworld** : MiniMeeps, where you at?

**MiniMina** : eating my feelings and ignoring my poverty, hopihope

**Hopeworld** : Freelance not going well?

**MiniMina** : my old agency just stole all of my clients

**Hopeworld** : Holy shit.

**MiniMina** : yeppppp

**Hopeworld** : All of them?

**MiniMina** : i have one or two left but they won’t have any work until the fall

**Hopeworld** : What are you going to do?

**MiniMina** : finish this gallon of ice cream and then go sit in the park to start training for my upcoming homelessness?

**Hopeworld** : A winning strategy if I ever heard one.

**MiniMina** : how’s your life?

**Hopeworld** : You’re doing that thing again.

**MiniMina** : what thing?

**Hopeworld** : Obfuscation and deflection.

**MiniMina** : those are some big words   
**MiniMina** : this is why they pay you the big bucks, director

**Hopeworld** : You’re still doing it.

**MiniMina** : what do you want from me? I’m having a hard time and it only gets harder when i talk about it

**Hopeworld** : I’m ignoring that blatant request for a dick joke because I love you too much to let you wallow

**MiniMina** : i’m not wallowing

**Hopeworld** : A gallon of ice cream is the hallmark of wallowing.

**MiniMina** : i’m not wallowing. i’m ignoring my problems. it looks the same but it’s actually the exact opposite.

**Hopeworld** : Yeah, that’s not better.

**MiniMina** : seriously though i’m just being dramatic. this is all small potatoes. i’ll get new clients and i’ll get over everything soon. we’ve got bigger issues to discuss. 

**Hopeworld** : MINA.    
**Hopeworld** : Obfuscation.   
**Hopeworld** : And deflection.

**MiniMina** : let me have this 

**Hopeworld** : Fine. 

**MiniMina** : have you been to see mark this week?

**Hopeworld** : Ramón and I drove up last night for dinner.

**MiniMina** : how are they doing?   
**MiniMina** : have they heard back from the adoption agency?

**Hopeworld** : The birth father is still petitioning for custody.   
**Hopeworld** : They’re really scared the judge is going to grant it, at least temporarily.

**MiniMina** : WHAT

**Hopeworld** : If he can prove he didn’t know about the pregnancy/birth and that he can provide a stable home for Charlotte…    
**Hopeworld** : The courts are biased toward the reconciliation of families

**MiniMina** : which is generally great but specifically terrifying when you have to break up one family to reunite another

**Hopeworld** : According to the law, they’re not her family yet. The adoption isn’t final and now the clock has kind of restarted? I don’t know, it’s all very complicated. Amber could tell you more

**MiniMina** : i cannot believe this is happening   
**MiniMina** : how are they holding up?

**Hopeworld** : On the outside, they look like they’re coping okay. Although I don’t think either of them have eaten anything substantial in days.   
**Hopeworld** : But they look… haunted. Just fearful

**MiniMina** : can you blame them?

**Hopeworld** : Not at alllllll. I’m sick to my stomach just thinking about it.

**MiniMina** : speaking of stomachs how are YOU?

**Hopeworld** : I’m fine.

**MiniMina** : obfuscation and deflection?

**Hopeworld** : Ha. Ha. Ha.   
**Hopeworld** : But no, I’m actually fine? The pain is gone. The doctors think it might have been an ulcer that cleared up on its own. 

**MiniMina** : you talked to tae about that?

**Hopeworld** : Tae may be A doctor but she’s not MY doctor. 

**MiniMina** : ah so she told you her diagnosis

**Hopeworld** : The AMA has clear rules about treating loved ones

**MiniMina** : the only thing you know about the ama is that it’s different from the american music awards and that’s only because i told you

**Hopeworld** : ….rude.    
**Hopeworld** : And correct.

**MiniMina** : plus i don’t think anyone needs an md to know that your job is too stressful and it’s slowly killing you and that you need to take time off or find a new hobby or maybe a new job

**Hopeworld** : I did find a new hobby, actually! Or picked up an old one again? 

**MiniMina** : are you taking a ballet class?! 

**Hopeworld** : Even better! Hip Hop!

**MiniMina** : that’s awesome! i want in!

**Hopeworld** : If you loved me, you’d move to Baltimore and join me

**MiniMina** : where have i heard that before?

**Hopeworld** : ohmygod    
**Hopeworld** : Mina   
**Hopeworld** : that was an incredibly shitty thing to say and I’m so sorry

**MiniMina** : it’s okay you didn’t mean anything by it   
**MiniMina** : and he didn’t ever phrase it like that anyway

**Hopeworld** : Doesn’t matter. I knew better and I was careless. I’m really very sorry.

**MiniMina** : you’re forgiven can we move past it now?

**Hopeworld** : Yes. Of course.

**MiniMina** : so. hip hop?

**Hopeworld** : Yes! It’s so fun and I do think you would enjoy it. You already have a gym membership, don’t you?

**MiniMina** : i cancelled it when i went freelance and i just run in the park now   
**MiniMina** : where i will soon live. what a convenient commute!

**Hopeworld** : Ah. Okay. Well, now I know what to get you for Christmas!

**MiniMina** : please do not get me a gym membership for christmas i didn’t even use the one i paid for myself

**Hopeworld** : No, I’m going to find you a hip hop class.

**MiniMina** : okay i could get on board with that but you know my rules about christmas 

**Hopeworld** : And you know how I ignore them every year. 

**MiniMina** : i do indeed

**Hopeworld** : Speaking of holidays, are you really coming to Friendsgiving?

**MiniMina** : yes

**Hopeworld** : You know you really don’t have to bring anyone -- we just want to see you

**MiniMina** : i will not be defeated

**Hopeworld** : You’re so weird. You have someone in mind?

**MiniMina** : tell me who YOU’RE bringing and i’ll tell you about mine

**Hopeworld** : I’m more patient than you give me credit for.

**MiniMina** : guess you’ll find out in three months then


	12. 6. Crying Alone

“So she’s really okay?” Amber pressed. Eugene shifted uncomfortably on his barstool. John stared into his plate of stir-fry, pretending not to listen to the conversation ebbing around him, but Eugene could practically see his ears swiveling toward them like satellite dishes every time someone spoke. 

When Hope had speared him with her question the second Mina was out of the room, Eugene had expected for the group to call him out on the farce he and Mina were trying to pull off with middling success. Instead, they’d simply started pestering him for information about her life and how she was coping. Apparently none of them had heard much from her since before the breakup. Eugene was both worried to hear how much she’d pulled away and incredibly grateful that she had this many people who loved her. 

He’d started to explain that he was pretty sure she was busy and possibly distracted by life but generally doing fine. He didn’t have much more information than they did, since he’d been in LA until March and had been kind of avoiding her and his feelings for even longer, but he also felt a hefty dose of pressure to pretend he knew everything about his supposed girlfriend. 

Luckily, Ramón and John had entered the kitchen at that point and joined them for dinner. It didn’t feel good to talk about her when she wasn’t there, but it felt like the ultimate betrayal to say anything about her in front of John, especially anything about how much she’d struggled that summer. Amber didn’t feel the same compunction. 

“Seriously, I don’t think we’ve shared more than a few text messages since Labor Day,” she continued. “And before that, she only had five minutes at a time for small talk before she’d make up some reason to get off the phone.” She looked to Hope and then to Ramón. “Have either of you guys had much contact?”

“We talk sometimes,” Hope said gently, flicking her eyes from Amber to John meaningfully. Amber stared at her for a moment, clearly not following. Hope glared at her, then pointed her whole face at John fiercely. 

Unfortunately, John chose that moment to look up into the awkward silence. Hope tried to rearrange her face quickly, but the way John dropped his gaze in alarm and started shoveling mixed vegetables into his mouth told Eugene she hadn’t succeeded. Amber pressed her lips together with wide eyes and looked at Hope in desperate embarrassment. 

“I’m, uh, just going to wait for Tae in our room,” John said softly after swallowing his last enormous bite. “Thanks, uh, thanks for dinner, Jimmy.” 

Amber opened her mouth to ask him to stay, but he slipped out of the room before she could make a sound. She turned to her husband in speechless horror. Jimmy simply shook his head at her exasperatedly. Hope sagged against the counter, leaning heavily against Ramón next to her. Ramón’s hand instantly settled on her waist before jerking away back down to his side. Hope sat up straight and groaned.

“Amber…” Hope drew out the last syllable of the name. Then she laughed dryly, as if she really shouldn’t have expected anything different. 

“It wasn’t me who made him so uncomfortable that he ran out of the room!” Amber protested. She looked to her husband for help, but he was determinedly eating his food and staying out of the mess. “If you could just control your face for once.” Eugene expected Hope to be offended by such a bold statement, but she just burst into laughter. 

“Okay, but Tae’s going to kill you,” Ramón offered, not sounding terribly worried about an inevitable homicide.

“You know, med school’s taught me more undetectable ways to commit murder than you would believe,” Taeya said mildly from the archway into the hall. “But I usually like to have a reason.” She scanned the room and frowned. “What did you guys do to my boyfriend?” 

There was a flurry of voices, clamoring to tell their side. Eugene was impressed that both Jimmy and Ramón got involved, too. Taeya shook her head in disbelief and they all quieted down.

“Did he run away from social interaction like a scared bunny?” she asked, unruffled. Amber snorted and Hope nodded eagerly. “Yeah, he does that. He takes a bit to get comfortable with a big group like this. I probably shouldn’t have abandoned him to you wolves so early into the trip.” She rolled her eyes fondly.

“Speaking of,” Eugene cut in. He’d been watching the hall behind her since she’d appeared and was starting to get concerned. Plus, he wasn’t big on crowds of new people either, as much as he hated to admit having anything in common with John. “What have you done with my girlfriend?” He awarded himself several mental medals for keeping his tone even over that word and not blushing like a schoolboy. 

“Oh.” Taeya looked behind her. “She said she’d be right out, but…” She turned her attention back to Eugene for a second, weighing him. “I’d check on her if I were… not the reason she’s hiding right now.” Eugene raised both eyebrows at her -- had Taeya upset Mina more than she already was? 

“What happened?” he asked flatly. Mina may love these people, but if any of them made her feel badly this weekend, when she was already pretty tender from seeing John again, Eugene was going to become a brick wall between her and her friends.

“Nothing!” Taeya said quickly, sensing his protective instincts. “We talked and everything’s okay. Or. As okay as it’s going to be for now. She just wasn't quite ready to face everything just yet. She could use some company, that’s all.” 

“Ah.” Eugene deflated a bit. He was surprised to realize he’d actually physically broadened his shoulders, like he was attempting to become an actual wall. Weird. “Okay. Thanks. Can someone save her some? She hasn’t eaten since this morning.” 

“Sure,” Jimmy said easily. A short look passed between Jimmy and Ramón that Eugene couldn’t decipher, but it seemed positive so he let it go and headed toward the hall. 

“It’s the room at the very end,” Taeya called after him. He lifted a hand over his shoulder in acknowledgment. 

“Hey! That’s my room!” Hope’s exclamation was nearly lost on him as he thought of how he could possibly comfort Mina in such a complicated and messy situation.

As soon as he was ensconced in the darkness of the hallway, he heard whispered voices start up in the kitchen. He was sure, in a group this big with this much history, gossip was rampant and no one was immune. He found he didn’t care, as long as neither he nor John were present to hear it when Mina wasn’t. 

He rapped gently on the hardwood but didn’t hear anything on the inside. He braced himself and pushed the door gently. It made a gentle swoosh across the high-pile carpet. And allowed him to hear rapid sniffles as Mina quickly composed herself and wiped her face hastily. His heart sank. 

“Hey,” he said softly, closing the door behind him.

“Hey,” Mina replied, a watery and over-bright smile wavering on her features. “Did you eat?” 

Eugene withheld a sigh at the classic deflection -- how could he worry about her if she was busy worrying about him? She’d been like this since high school, and he’d always hated it. And still somehow found it incredibly sweet. As someone who tended to avoid difficult emotions by leaning into anger, he’d always been impressed that her default was caring more.

“Yes, I did.” He knew she wouldn’t let him talk about anything else until he’d addressed her question. “They’re saving you a plate.” He hovered awkwardly by the door. He couldn’t really get angry here, so he wasn’t sure how to handle these emotions. “So… you talked with Taeya?”

“Yeah…” Mina sniffled and pulled her lower lip into her mouth. Eugene knew it was to keep him from seeing it wobble, but he was too busy trying not to look at her mouth most of the time anyway that she needn’t have bothered. 

“How’d… how’d that go?”

“Just stellar,” Mina said with a wet laugh, motioning at her face. “Obviously.” 

Eugene took a step toward her with an outstretched hand, like he was planning on holding her. Which would be insane. They might be life-long friends, but they weren’t those kinds of friends. Touchy, lovey friends. He awkwardly dropped his hand by his side and perched on the padded cedar chest at the foot of the bed near her chair 

“She said something? Something that hurt you?” He was trying so hard not to sound judgey. But in his experience, a good friend didn’t leave you crying alone.

“No, not like that,” Mina explained. “I mean, yes, I’m crying about what she said, but it’s not… It’s not her, it’s just the situation.” She chuckled wetly. “I’m being silly. I’ll get over it. I just needed a minute.” She sniffed hard and stood up. “See? I’m fine now.” She wiped her cheeks with one broad sweep of both her palms from chin to cheekbone and out to her ears. She started toward the door as she dropped her hands.

Eugene caught her hand in his without thinking about it, tugging her back and trying to ignore the electric warmth her hand sent up his arm and straight to his central nervous system. She turned and looked at him in question, as if she was genuinely confused about why he might be concerned. 

“You don’t have to be fine, you know,” he said softly. She tilted her head to study him. “You could be… not fine? With me? If you need to?” Why was everything coming out like a question? 

Mina smiled at him and squeezed his hand. He expected her to let it go and ask him to let the issue go. But that wasn’t Mina. Instead, she swung their hands between them playfully and said, “I will totally take you up on that at some point. I like mint chocolate chip ice cream and big fuzzy blankets and sweet red wine. Just, you know, for future reference.” She smiled impishly and pulled him unexpectedly to his feet. “But I really am feeling better at the moment. I just got a little overwhelmed.”

She motioned toward the door with a jerk of her head, silently asking him if he was ready to go back out there. He rolled his eyes and nodded. He wasn’t the one hiding in a back bedroom and crying. He also really didn’t need to be reminded about the mint ice cream or the sweet red wine. The fuzzy blankets he probably could have guessed, but it was good information to have anyway. 


	13. 6.5 Favor

**September 18 - 8:04 PM**

**MiniMina** : so   
**MiniMina** : um   
**MiniMina** : i have a big favor to ask you

**MinPD** : ?

**MiniMina** : you know how my college friends and i get together every year?

**MinPD** : ??

**MiniMina** : you don’t remember or you want me to get on with it?

**MinPD** : 2

**MiniMina** : are you in the studio right now?

**MinPD** : y

**MiniMina** : if you don’t have time to chat you can just answer later

**MinPD** : Seems important. Trying to be a good friend.

**MiniMina** : hey look at those two almost-complete sentences! good job!

**MinPD** : …

**MiniMina** : okay   
**MiniMina** : if you want you can think of this as an early birthday present from me

**MinPD** : It’s September. My birthday’s in March.

**MiniMina** : oh typo   
**MiniMina** : *for me   
**MiniMina** : an early present for MY birthday   
**MiniMina** : or late? your answer yes now will not be redeemed until after my birthday

**MinPD** : ?

**MiniMina** : you’re busy   
**MiniMina** : i’ll ask later

**MinPD** : No, it’s fine. I called a break. What’s up?

**MiniMina** : you didn’t have to do that

**MinPD** : Park. 

**MiniMina** : right. sorry    
**MiniMina** : my friends are getting together in the poconos for thanksgiving week and they’re all bringing their partners and i’m the only single one so i need a trip buddy or it’s going to get all coupley and awkward and lonely and i’m probably gonna get set up on fourteen blind dates so will you be my trip buddy? i’ll pay your way and there will be plenty of alcohol and you won’t have to do anything but hang out with me and ten strangers   
**MiniMina** : sorry this is a terrible idea ignore me

**MinPD** : That’s a lot of information to get in 30 seconds.

**MiniMina** : sorry like i said: bad idea

**MinPD** : Will there be turkey?

**MiniMina** : yes?    
**MiniMina** : jimmy is a great cook and always does a big spread

**MinPD** : And stuffing? Pie?

**MiniMina** : yes and yes. three kinds, probably   
**MiniMina** : i didn’t know you were that into thanksgiving

**MinPD** : It’s part of the naturalization ceremony. You didn’t have to go through it, because your mom moved here pregnant with you. They inject you with eagle’s blood and it makes you crave apple pie in July and turkey in November. I don’t make up the rules, I just live by them.   
**MinPD** : Side effects include unreasonable interest in the colors red, white, and blue and also nacho cheese.

**MiniMina** : i would have thought ranch dressing would be included

**MinPD** : I took the oath in New York. There’s a different formula for the Midwest. Duh. 

**MiniMina** : you’re so weird

**MinPD** : You love me.

**MiniMina** : i really do   
**MiniMina** : so you’re interested in coming to friendsgiving?

**MinPD** : Well, I was until you called it that.

**MiniMina** : :(

**MinPD** : Kidding! 

**MiniMina** : your family won’t mind me stealing you?

**MinPD** : You know my mom. She’s super traditional. Chuseok is her Thanksgiving and I’ll be home for that next week. Actually, I think your family is hosting this year, so I’ll be at your home for that   
**MinPD** : I gotta get back in the studio.   
**MinPD** : Dinner tomorrow to talk details?

**MiniMina** : really?! sure!

**MinPD** : Pick you up at 6?

**MiniMina** : what a gentleman! is this a date??? [blushes]

**MinPD** : Don’t be weird.

**MiniMina** : six is fine. let’s go to marcello’s   
**MiniMina** : my treat.

**MinPD** : Oh. This is a big favor then.

**MiniMina** : maybe!   
**MiniMina** : see you tomorrow


	14. 7. The Many (White) Boyfriends of Hope O'Neill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops! Between pandemic and work, I completely forgot to update this since... *checks records* July 18? Sorry, pals! Have a fresh chapter

Eugene followed Mina out to the main room, allowing her to keep holding his hand for no other reason than he couldn’t make himself let go. Once they made it past the empty kitchen (where she grabbed her set-aside plate with her free hand) and into the noisy living room, he told himself it was all for the show anyway. He wondered if Mina gave it half the (racing) thought that he was giving it. He wondered if she thought about it at all. With as tactile as this group seemed to be -- Hope was, right at that moment, flinging herself across Ramón to give Jimmy a vicious noogie -- it might not even cross her mind.

“Mina!” Amber called happily. Everyone looked up. Eugene had the strongest urge to let go of Mina’s hand, as if they’d been caught doing something naughty by their parents. Taeya seemed to think the same thing, because she gingerly lifted herself out of John’s lap in one of the over-sized leather armchairs. She covered it by grabbing her drink and taking a sip, but Eugene didn’t miss the way she settled on the arm of the chair instead of back in his lap.

“Were you two making out in my room?” Hope accused. Eugene was pretty sure she was joking, but his face heated anyway at the implication. He glanced somewhat surreptitiously at Mina and was surprised to see her face turning red, too. “Wait! You weren’t!” Hope looked scandalized. The others snickered. Mina ducked her head. Even to Eugene, it looked like she was slightly gleefully admitting guilt. 

“Mina Jihyo Park!” Amber said, mock scandalized. Eugene glanced at John, daring him to be any kind of jealous or rude. It didn’t even really look like he was paying attention. Mina just laughed and steered them toward the other chair, across from Taeya and John. It was just large enough for one and a half people, which made something uncomfortably hopeful twist in his gut. 

“I’m going to grab a cup of tea. You want anything?” she asked him, setting her plate on the side table.

“Just a glass of water, please.” He’d prefer something stronger if he was honest, but he figured she deserved a sober partner-in-crime in such a tenuous situation. She nodded and left the room. He took the chair, feeling awkward just standing there waiting for her.

“Ramón didn’t finish his story,” Amber said, twisting on her couch cushion to lean her back against Jimmy’s chest. He draped his arm casually along the couch behind her. They looked so comfortable and domestic. 

Eugene had no idea how he and Mina were pulling this off when such a genuine picture of couplehood was right there to compare it to, but everyone seemed to be buying it. He supposed their willingness to believe was tied directly to their desire for Mina to be happy. He kind of wished he and Mina weren’t preying on such a pure motivation.

“Well, most of the rest of it’s redacted anyway,” Ramón said flatly. They all groaned and his lips twitched. Eugene frowned. “Sorry,” Ramón said to him. “CIA jokes. We don’t get that many, so I have to take them whenever they come up.” Eugene searched his memory for context. 

“Ramón’s an analyst at Langley,” Hope’s tone was just a little bit smug, like a proud mother, “which just basically means he’s a well-funded nerd.” She nudged him with an elbow. Ramón snorted.

“It might be the CIA, but it’s still the American government.” He shook his head. “ _Well-funded_ is rarely a term used around the office.” 

The conversation continued, but Eugene stopped listening and just observed. He watched the way Jimmy rested his other hand on Amber’s hip, how his thumb traced an idle pattern on the seam of her jeans. He saw Hope lean into Ramón’s side repeatedly as she laughed at whatever he was saying, how Ramón’s hand brushed her knee or her arm. How Amber slung her feet across Ramón’s lap and he didn’t even blink. How Taeya tossed a balled up napkin at the group of them and Jimmy and Ramón fist bumped over Amber’s head about something that had all the girls groaning. How John sat silently, gazing almost adoringly at Taeya as she laughed and talked with her friends.

Mina returned with a steaming mug in one hand and a glass in the other. Eugene jumped up, but she waved him back into his seat. He sank down slowly. She just perched on the arm of the chair in the same way Taeya had across from them. In fact, with the arrangement of the living room, the two couples were nearly mirror images of each other. He wasn’t sure he liked that. 

The others didn’t miss a beat in their conversation with Mina’s return. She set down her mug and picked up her plate, scooping up a mouthful as Jimmy told some story about one of the other architects in his office.

“And no one in the meeting wanted to be the one to say it, but the building really looked like a penis.” Jimmy shook his head. “I mean, this is what happens when you try to build a cylindrical skyscraper with a pink sandstone facade.”

“Do you mean ‘build’ or ‘erect’?” Hope asked faux-delicately. Mina was just swallowing a bite and choked. Eugene reached up on instinct, resting his hand on her back as she tried to get more air than food into her lungs. “Sorry, it was just…” Hope’s tone barely sounded apologetic. “...sticking out there. I had to… jump on it.” Mina coughed harder, her eyes watering as she wheezed out laughter. This time it was Ramón and Hope fist bumping as the others chuckled. 

“Have you been spending a lot of time together?” Amber asked suspiciously. Hope stiffened. “That’s more his style of joke than yours.” Hope and Ramón shared a significant look. Hope opened her mouth, looking almost fearful about what she was about to say, but Taeya broke in.

“I don’t know... Hobi was a dirty bird in college,” she said thoughtfully. “Get half a wine cooler in her and she’d say all kinds of things. Remember Ahsan from the fifth floor? She once said she wanted to--”

“Yes, thank you, Tae,” Hope said in a loud clipped voice as Mina and Amber cackled and Ramón looked on with interest. “That’s a story for a very different night.”

“Yeah, one with a few wine coolers,” Ramón muttered. Hope shushed him fiercely while Taeya smirked down at John and mouthed what was either a really filthy sex act or just ridiculous nonsense. Eugene couldn’t quite tell, but John laughed. 

Mina tensed under Eugene’s hand as she watched John stroke the outside of Taeya’s thigh and murmur some kind of invitation back into the chair with him. Taeya immediately looked over at Mina to see if she was watching. Mina smiled back encouragingly. Eugene wondered if Taeya could see how forced it was from across the room. As Taeya slid cautiously into the chair, her legs draping across John’s, Eugene snaked a hand around Mina’s waist. He’d only meant to reassure her, but John watched the movement closely, his own arm reflexively slipping around Taeya. 

“What, he was cute!” Hope was protesting, apparently still defending herself against Taeya’s aspersions about Ahsan From The Fifth Floor. John rested his hand on Taeya’s shin in his lap, rubbing the red fabric of her leggings. She played with the hem of her cream sweater dress and snuggled into him, and he pressed a casual kiss into the side of her head.

Eugene felt a flare of something ugly in his chest, darkly jealous but only by proxy. How dare he be so casual with Taeya when Mina is sitting right there? Eugene felt the weirdest competitive urge to be a better couple than they were. For the next four hours, Eugene was going to show this loser what he gave up in Mina and just maybe he’d go home tomorrow morning feeling like he accomplished something. 

He took a last sip of his water, squeezing Mina’s waist reassuringly as he let go and leaned forward to set the glass on the table next to her. When he sat back, he twisted slightly to face the group a little better and slung his arm up across her lap, letting his palm fit the curve of her opposite knee and the back of his head rest against her ribcage. He could feel her breathing pick up a little. Hope finished her defense somewhat inarticulately and turned to Ramón in what looked like a plea for help.

“I guess you’ve always had a thing for the guys with darker skin,” Ramón murmured, his eyebrow arched at Hope. Amber looked at him quizzically. Hope elbowed him and clenched her jaw.

“Hope’s only ever dated white guys…” Amber said slowly. She turned to Jimmy for confirmation. He nodded slowly. 

“Todd... Jake… That one art guy, what was his name?” Jimmy literally tapped his chin in thought. Hope groaned but couldn’t reach him to smack him. “Brian? Blaine? Bertrand?”

“Brad,” Hope said tartly. “His name was Brad and he was--” 

“Rull white,” Taeya supplied. Everyone laughed. John ducked his head into her shoulder. Eugene traced a pattern on Mina’s knee. 

“Wasn’t there a guy in junior year?” Mina piped up, her skin twitching under Eugene’s fingers. John slid his hand from Taeya’s shin to her thigh and she giggled. “The Bronze God, I think we called him?” She put her plate down and picked up her tea.

“That was Travis.” Hope groaned the name with clear regret. “He just really liked tanning booths. I saw a photo of him on Facebook the other day and he’s so wrinkly, he looks like he’s pushing forty. I totally dodged a bullet there.”

“See? Making my point for me.” Amber looked smug, and Hope chuckled goodnaturedly. “So unless your new guy is African-American or something, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She looked at Ramón, who squirmed a little. “Wait, have you met him? You’ve met the secret boyfriend?” Amber stared accusingly between them as they held back laughter. 

“He’s Argentinian, actually,” Hope said, clearly trying to steer the conversation. “And Ramón... Well, it’s complicated…” Ramón hid his mouth behind his hand. There was a silent exchange between them in which he lifted a shoulder and nodded at her. “Ramón actually is--” 

“We’ll come back to that later,” Taeya said, “I want to know more about the boyfriend. What’s his name? What’s he like? Where’d you meet him? Why isn’t he here?” Her eyes lit up. “Argentina?! RM, is he from your hometown or something?” She wriggled forward, and John pulled her back with a wry grin. 

“Calm down, babe,” he murmured. “Let her breathe.” Taeya wrinkled her nose.

“I thought we talked about nicknames, _bunny_ ,” she said stressing the last word sardonically. Mina gripped Eugene’s hand as John looked across to her in guilty alarm. Eugene looked up and instantly knew the name had triggered something in her. She looked like she was going to be ill. Taeya caught this, too, and glanced at Eugene’s stony face before hurriedly continuing, “But I want to hear all about Hope’s beau, so let the ladies talk.” 

Eugene reached up and across with his free arm to tug Mina’s hand off of his, instead pulling it over to his mouth for a soft kiss to her knuckles before resting it against his shoulder and pressing his cheek into the top of it. He kept holding her hand, with his own arm across his chest. It was surprisingly comfortable to be draped across and tangled up with her like this. He was amazed that Mina was letting it happen, but he couldn’t stop himself. He couldn’t stop staring at the chair across from them and the tableau made by the couple in it, and how much it was hurting Mina. 

John frowned at him. Taeya squirmed uncomfortably, so John pecked her on the cheek and murmured an apology. His eyes also never left Eugene. The others were watching them warily. Eugene felt, as an outsider to this complicated tangle, that he was the one who could get them back on track. 

“So the new guy is from Argentina. Isn’t that where you’re originally from, Ramón?” Eugene asked calmly. “I was in Rosario a couple of years ago and Mina mentioned you’re from around there?”

“Oh,” Ramón responded in surprise. Mina glanced down at him with her own shock that he’d remembered something from so long ago. “Yeah, most of my extended family still lives in Pergamino. I go back every once in a while, but I haven’t lived there since I was five.” Ramón seemed impressed. Much of the tension caused by the ill-chosen pet name dissipated as the subject changed so drastically.

“Ah, that’s to the south, right?” Eugene continued. Ramón nodded, a slow smile crossing his face. “We stayed mostly to the north of the city, almost to Santa Fe.” Eugene realized it might be odd that he’d been to Ramón’s hometown, so he explained, “My label was working with some local talent on a world music album. We spent two months running around South America recruiting and recording.”

“Wow! That’s really cool,” Ramón said, a hint of jealousy in his voice. 

“Ramón was a music major when he first started at Penn,” Mina explained, twisting her hand in his. At first, Eugene thought she was going to pull away, but instead she entwined their fingers and smiled down at him. “He was actually a fairly decent rapper.” 

Eugene raised his eyebrows in interest -- he trusted Mina’s ear for music and talent, since he’d spent most of his life pushing new albums and playlists into her hands and getting the occasional surprise when she found something really good he hadn’t heard of before. He really was going to check out that Korean artist she’d mentioned in the car on the way up. 

“I wasn’t that great… And then I decided I needed to grow up and study something more practical.” Ramón lifted a shoulder and wrinkled his nose. “Then again, linguistics isn’t, you know, a huge market or anything…”

“You speak literally eight languages, genius boy,” Hope said, ruffling his hair and messing up his styled spikes. 

“Seven, and French and Italian don’t really count.” He ducked away from her hand. This comment got a few curious glaces, and he sighed. “They’re basically just Spanish with different accents.” Jimmy and Amber snorted at him.

“Your lectures about the 'evolution of Vulgar Latin and divisions based on phonemic lenition of intervocalic stops' tell a different story,” Taeya said effortlessly. Everyone’s heads swiveled toward her in surprise. Her straight face only lasted another second before she burst into laughter. “I like to memorize the crazy shit you say so that I can make your face do _that_.” She snickered while pointing. Ramón opened his mouth and closed it again without saying anything. “Yeah, like that.”

John grabbed her hand and pulled it back into their laps with a patient but slightly scolding smile. Taeya grinned unrepentantly. The conversation moved on, away from both Ramón’s abilities and Hope’s new boyfriend. Eugene wasn’t really listening as he watched John play with Taeya’s fingers and occasionally nuzzle her neck. 

Laughter flowed around the room again when it was Amber’s turn to get teased about something. Mina chuckled above him, her body moving with her amusement as it always did when she found something particularly funny. John looked up at her and then redoubled his efforts to steal Taeya’s attention from the group, looking a little bored and uncomfortable. 

Someone cracked another joke and Eugene used the opportunity of Mina throwing her head back to let out a loud laugh to casually shift his elbow just sharply enough against the side of Mina’s far thigh that the fabric of her jeans slipped against the leather of the arm of the couch and she fell into his lap with a small yelp. She flailed a little, but he just used their tangled hands to pull her arm up and over his head to settle across his shoulders with a chuckled “Careful there, sweetheart.” 

The group barely paused before Hope said something to Jimmy and they were all bantering again. Mina’s short hair had fallen into her face with the movement, so he tucked it behind her ear while checking her face in a subtle question. She answered him by nestling against his chest and said, “Oops, sorry!” She kept her arm around his shoulder, but kicked her legs up onto the opposite arm of the chair and grabbed his other hand. “Guess I’ll just have to stay here.” His heart clenched at her flirtatious tone and tried not to wish any of this into reality. Just four more hours. He could do this.

He checked on John and Taeya out of the corner of his eye. Taeya was engaged in the conversation, but John was looking more and more disgruntled. He moved his hand from around her waist and started rubbing the back of her neck and shoulders, occasionally sliding his fingertips into the small braids at the back of her head that began the crest of her gorgeous faux-hawk. She shivered and shot him a look, which he returned impishly. 

His fingers began a teasing, possibly ticking path down her neck and around her side before slipping under her legs to the soft backs of her thighs. She squirmed and squealed and John laughed, a rich rumbling sound that contrasted sharply with his scrunched nose and slightly large front teeth. 

Eugene scoffed silently and wrapped his free arm around Mina’s back, pulling her close and hitching her fully into his lap. Her legs slipped off the arms of the chair as she curled into him. Her eyes were a little wide when they met his, but they were also trusting. He whispered “Go with me” into her ear and began nuzzling into her neck, his mouth not really kissing but also kind of...not _not_ kissing. He watched John surreptitiously through her short hair and saw him glare at the two of them. 

John was just diving into another round of tickling when Jimmy cleared his throat loudly. Eugene suddenly realized there hadn’t been any conversation for the last several minutes of this inadvertent sex-off he was accidentally-on-purpose challenging John to. Eugene looked up slowly, trying to hide a grin at the redness creeping up John’s neck as he realized the same thing.

“Listen, I know we said that couples could come this time…” Ramón said slowly, a sly smile spreading across his face. “But we didn’t mean that literally.” Everyone except John and Eugene groaned at him, Hope going so far as to smack him on the shoulder. But the point was made, and John and Eugene both ducked their heads in embarrassment. Mina blushed furiously and readjusted her position to be more on the cushion than his lap again. Taeya popped up out of their chair entirely.

“Snacks anyone?” she asked brightly, her voice only slightly strangled. Apparently, even the bold, brave Taeya had her shame limits. Eugene suspected it wouldn’t last long, though.

“Yes, um, I’ll help,” John mumbled and followed her out of the room. He glanced back over his shoulder at the last minute, seeming to realize that leaving together had nearly as salacious implications as the scene he’d just left. Eugene chuckled to himself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my outline, I titled this chapter "The Sex-Off" but I felt like that maybe gave away too much.


	15. 7.5 Minefield

“Usually, I make a policy of not asking about past relationships and breakups, but since you dated my best friend, I’m going to need some more details.”

“I’m sorry. I really didn’t know. I swear.”

“I know! I’m not accusing. And I’m not mad, I promise. I’m not asking for an apology, either. But I  _ am _ in the middle now and that’s uncomfortable.”

“I don’t…”

“Listen, if it helps, I can tell you about some of my exes? Even the score?”

“I have a negative amount of interest in knowing about the men in your past, unless you actually want to share about it. And I’m not trying to avoid the question. I’m thinking. Give me a second.”

“Okay…”

“Stop with the face.”

“What face? This face? This is just my face.”

“It’s your impatient face. I’m trying to organize my thoughts. There are about a million mines in this particular field.” 

“Hmmmm… Now you’ve got me worried my new boyfriend  _ and  _ my bestie are terrible people.”

“Nothing like that. Just. You know. This is all weird.”

“You’re telling me.”

“Okay, so. Mina and I dated for about a year. I got the job offer in Philadelphia in March. I asked her to move with me. She didn’t want to leave New York. I didn’t want to do long distance. We broke up. The end.”

“That’s… You’ve nicely sidestepped all the mines but you’ve also left out everything important.”

“Like what? That’s everything.”

“Like how it felt? Like who did the breaking? Like how you recovered?”

“Oh. We broke up as a mutual decision and… it sucked? And then, a while later, it sucked less? Stop with the face!”

“THIS IS MY FACE.”

“No, this is your frustrated and exasperated and possibly constipated face.”

“Thanks…”

“I swear I’m not trying to be difficult. Just, what are you looking for? Ask me questions and I’ll answer them honestly.”

“You were together for a year. I’m assuming you were sleeping together?”

“Is that a question?”

“Yes.”

“Then yes, we were. If she’d come to Philly with me, we would have moved in together.”

“Did you love her?”

“Yes.”

“Do you still love her?”

“I…”

“Okay then.”

“No. Stop.”

“Your hesitation is enough of an answer.”

“No, it’s not like that. I care deeply about her. Our breakup wasn’t ugly. We didn’t do the Bitter, Angry Thing, so I never really stopped wanting good things for her. But I did stop… wanting her. I am no longer in love with her. I’m in-- I’m with you now and this is exactly where I want to be.”

“Okay. Then.”

“See, I like  _ this  _ face.”

“It’s--”

“It’s just your face, and I like your face.”

“I like your face, too. Wanna put your face on my face?”

“In a minute. Are you really okay with staying this week? I get it if you want to leave.” 

“Do  _ you _ want to leave? Is it too hard seeing Meep-- Mina?”

“It’s… I don’t want to hurt her. Like I said, I’m not angry or bitter and I’m sure this isn’t easy for her or for you. But I also don’t want to have to watch every move I make with you or get into another awkward situation with Eugene. That guy… Anyway, I also don’t want to take this time away from you and your friends.”

“You’re sweet, Johnboy.”

“Not that one either, thanks. When you talked with Mina, did you get the impression that she wants us to leave?”

“She said she was happy for us and that it would be fine, but I’m betting she and Eugene sneak out while we’re all sleeping.”

“Oh.”

“She’s… She puts other people’s feelings first, but she’s also pretty stubborn once she makes up her mind, so…”

“Yeah. I know.”

“Right.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine. It’s super weird, isn’t it?”

“We’ll make it work. I’m not giving up my best friend or my boyfriend over this, so we have to make it work.”

“How?”

“Let’s just take it as it comes. As weird as this all is, I don’t want to have to pretend I don’t love… being with you. So let’s just take her at her word that it’s fine, even though it’s probably not, and be normal. It’s the only way it’s going to get better.”

“Does that plan include putting your face on my face?”

“Finally, Johnny Walker Blue. Get over here.”

“A whiskey? Seriously?”

“Whatever, just kiss me.”


End file.
